Care work, if recognised and rewarded, can unlock labour market access for women in South Africa. Unpaid care work disproportionately affects women’s participation in the formal labour market, leading to occupational segregation and lower-paid positions. Women often opt for part-time or informal jobs due to caregiving needs, limiting access to higher-status roles and contributing to the gender wage gap. Although unpaid care work is economically significant, it’s often unreported and not recognized in public policy, rendering women’s contributions ‚invisible‘ in economic measures.
Within South Africa, the care economy contributes significantly towards total employment, with most of the work being undertaken by women. Women who do manage to enter the labour market face the additional hardship of time poverty – a consequence of the ‚double load‘ of women’s paid work responsibilities combined with their domestic and family responsibilities and unpaid care work. This imbalance is evident in the data, with a significant number of young women indicating they are not economically active due to being homemakers, which is five times the comparable number for men. This not only limits women’s economic potential but also hinders the overall productivity of the economy and society.
The Early Childhood Development (ECD) sector presents a unique opportunity for economies, providing employment opportunities, early childhood education for children, and support for primary caregivers to access childcare and reduce time poverty. The demand for ECD care is growing, with the 2030 ECD Strategy aiming to reach 1.2 million additional children in need of quality care over the next five years. If addressed, this could generate 270,000 direct jobs and enable up to half a million women and caregivers to re-enter the labour market.
Despite the growing need for ECD care, many providers struggle to access existing subsidies to scale and grow. Formalization within the ECD sector has traditionally been associated with high costs, bureaucratic processes, misinformation, and geographic inconsistencies. Efforts are being made to reduce these barriers and enable the flow of funds to create sustainability and expand access. The ECD Mass Registration Drive launched by the Department of Basic Education aims to register 20,000 Early Learning Programs in South Africa, streamlining the process for owners to achieve regulatory compliance and quality standards.
Formalization of ECD centers not only provides employment opportunities but also unlocks access to the ECD subsidy for low-income households. This public funding, although insufficient to cover all costs, eases the financial burden of ECD access. Through initiatives like the ECD Mass Registration campaign, additional public funding could be unlocked, making early learning more affordable and accessible to all.
In conclusion, recognizing and rewarding care work is essential in unlocking labour market access for women in South Africa. By addressing the barriers to formalization within the ECD sector and providing support for caregivers, we can create more opportunities for women to enter the workforce and contribute to the economy. It is crucial to make the care economy visible and prioritize gender inclusion in the jobs of tomorrow to ensure a more inclusive and prosperous society for all.