International Women's Day 2025: evaluating three decades of gender equality

Dr Sizile Zamandlovu Makola

Thirty years ago, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing set forth the Beijing Platform for Action, a comprehensive policy agenda aimed at achieving gender equality. As we observe International Women's Day 2025 under the United Nations theme, For ALL Women and Girls: Rights. Equality, it's imperative to assess the progress made and the challenges that persist, both globally and within South Africa.

Since 1995, significant progress has been made in advancing gender equality across various sectors. In education, the gender gap has narrowed considerably, with the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2024 indicating that 95% of the global educational attainment gap has been closed.

Sub-Saharan Africa has also seen improvements, with increased literacy rates and higher school enrolment for girls contributing to this progress. In healthcare, maternal health has notably improved over the past three decades.

According to UNICEF, the global maternal mortality ratio declined by 34% between 2000 and 2020, dropping from 339 to 223 deaths per 100 000 live births. These advancements are largely attributed to improved access to reproductive health services and policies prioritising women's health. Political representation has also seen significant growth, with countries like Rwanda leading the way, where over 60% of parliamentary seats are held by women, demonstrating the power of deliberate policy interventions.

Similarly, South Africa has made strides, with women now holding approximately 45% of parliamentary seats, a dramatic increase from just 2.7% in 1994. These achievements highlight the impact of sustained efforts in closing gender gaps, yet further work remains to achieve full parity in all sectors.

Despite notable progress, persistent challenges continue to hinder gender equality, particularly in leadership, economic empowerment, and policy protection. Women remain significantly underrepresented in leadership roles across business and politics.

According to the WEF Gender Gap Report 2024, women occupy less than 30% of managerial positions globally. Additionally, Public Investment Corporation report  indicated that only 19.7% (average) of board seats held by women and in South Africa, women hold only 7.2% of CEO positions in listed companies, despite the existence of legal frameworks promoting gender inclusion.

The issue is not just about access but also about dismantling biases that undermine women’s authority and credibility in leadership spaces. Economic inequality remains another major barrier, with women still earning 20% less than men for the same work, according to UN Women.

In South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa, many women juggle unpaid care work alongside formal employment, exacerbating systemic economic disadvantages. Additionally, female-led SMMEs face significant barriers in accessing funding, limiting their entrepreneurial and financial independence. A further challenge is the rise of regressive policies and escalating gender-based violence.

Across multiple countries, there have been attacks on reproductive rights, rollbacks of gender-sensitive policies, and increasing violence against women. South Africa, in particular, faces an alarming femicide rate, with one woman killed every four hours, according to SA Police Services reports.

Throughout Sub-Saharan Africa, gender-based violence remains a critical issue, necessitating urgent policy interventions and stricter enforcement of protective measures. Addressing these challenges requires sustained advocacy, targeted policies, and structural reforms to ensure that gender equality is not only upheld but advanced.While the challenges to gender equality remain significant, success stories from around the world provide blueprints for action.

Rwanda has set a powerful example in political representation, with women holding over 60% of parliamentary seats, demonstrating the effectiveness of gender quotas. South Africa and other Sub-Saharan African nations can follow suit by implementing similar quotas in corporate boardrooms and political offices to accelerate women's leadership representation. Pay equity is another area where progress is possible, as seen in Iceland, where laws mandating pay transparency have helped close the wage gap.

South Africa must adopt similar policies to ensure that women receive equal pay for equal work. Economic empowerment is also crucial, and expanding access to financing for women entrepreneurs, alongside gender-sensitive budgeting, can foster inclusive economic growth. Furthermore, addressing gender-based violence requires national-level strategies and dedicated funding. Countries like Spain and Canada have successfully implemented such approaches, strengthening legal frameworks and increasing support for survivors.

South Africa and its neighbours must prioritise robust judicial responses and greater investments in survivor support services to create safer environments for women and girls. By learning from these successes, countries can build stronger, more equitable societies where women and girls have the rights, opportunities, and protections they deserve.

To truly advance equality, we must listen to and elevate the voices of women at the forefront of change. As feminist economist Dr Naila Kabeer asserts, “Economic empowerment must be accompanied by structural transformation.”

South African activist Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka has long advocated for policies that center women’s lived experiences. Everyday women, from entrepreneurs in Soweto to community leaders in Khayelitsha, and activists in Kenya and Nigeria, continue to challenge inequities and demand justice.As we mark International Women’s Day 2025, we must renew our commitment to the Beijing Platform for Action.

The past 30 years have shown that change is possible but progress is not inevitable. It requires policy action, accountability, and the dismantling of deeply rooted societal biases.The call to action is clear: For ALL Women and Girls - Rights. Equality. The time to act is now.

Makola is a Senior Lecturer in the College of Economic and Management Sciences at Unisa. She writes in her personal capacity

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