Why degrees fail to protect South African women from unemployment

Female university graduates in South Africa face nearly double the unemployment rate of their male counterparts, highlighting how deeply entrenched gender bias remains in the job market despite educational achievements.

Statistics South Africa's latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey reveals that even a degree offers no protection from the country's gender employment divide, with female graduates recording a 15.0% unemployment rate compared to just 8,9% for men in the second quarter of 2025.

An employment gap persists across all education levels, shattering the myth that qualifications level the playing field for women seeking work in Africa's most industrialised economy.

Women with only a matric certificate face the worst odds, with unemployment hitting 39.3% compared to 31.7% for men - a crushing 7.6 percentage point difference that represents the widest gender gap across all education categories.

Among those without matric, women struggle more than men, with unemployment rates of 42.8% versus 37% respectively.

The figures paint a stark picture of systematic workplace discrimination that no amount of education seems able to overcome, according to Statistics South Africa data.

“No matter the level of education, women in South Africa face significantly greater challenges in securing employment than men,” it said.

South Africa's overall unemployment rate stands at a staggering 33,2%, with women bearing the heavier burden at 35,9% compared to 31,0% for men.

Female graduates faced an unemployment rate of 15%, compared to 8.9% for their male counterparts, a difference of 6.1 percentage points.

Overall, graduate unemployment has worsened, climbing to 12.2% in the second quarter - a 0.5 percentage point increase from the previous quarter that signals even the most qualified are struggling to find work.

Research shows the employment gap is partly driven by women spending an average of 30.5 hours per week on unpaid care work compared to 12.2 hours for men, according to recent studies on South African households.

Around 12% of all working women in South Africa work as domestic workers, with 80% operating informally and lacking proper safety nets or benefits.

Globally, unpaid care work prevents 708 million women from participating in the labour market, according to the International Labour Organization.

The statistics reveal how gender discrimination compounds other barriers, creating multiple layers of disadvantage for women regardless of their qualifications or skills.

Statistics South Africa’s findings expose how decades after democracy, South African women continue to face systemic exclusion from economic opportunities, with education failing to bridge the gender employment chasm that costs the economy billions in lost productivity.

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