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THE CONTINUED FEMINISATION OF THE LABOUR FORCE IN SOUTH AFRICA
Author(s) -
Casale Daniela,
Posel Dorrit
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
south african journal of economics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.502
H-Index - 31
eISSN - 1813-6982
pISSN - 0038-2280
DOI - 10.1111/j.1813-6982.2002.tb00042.x
Subject(s) - doctoral dissertation , political science , history , economic history , law , higher education
The post-apartheid period 1995 to 1999 has witnessed a continued feminisation of the labour force. In 1995, 38 percent of all females between the ages of 15 and 65 were either working or actively looking for work in South Africa; by 1999, this had increased to 47 percent. This study describes changes in female labour supply and employment using data from the 1995 and 1999 October Household Surveys, paying close attention to the quality of the data upon which the empirical investigation is based. We find that the continued feminisation of the labour force is associated particularly with an increase in female unemployment, and where employment has grown, this has been mostly in self-employment in the informal sector. These findings may reflect an increasing number of women who are “pushed” into the labour market, one possible explanation for which is the erosion in women’s access to traditional forms of (male) income support.