Women Do Ask—So Why Are South African Women Still Earning 22 Cents Less?

Natalie Singer
6 minutes ago
5 min read

South Africa faces a significant and worsening gender pay gap. According to findings from a study conducted by the Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED [1]) programme, in 2021, women in South Africa earned 78 cents for every Rand earned by men, compared to 89 cents in 2008. This is a loss for gender equality, a trend that should urgently be addressed, and represents a concerning deterioration in pay equality over 13 years.

The broader African context provides additional perspective. 2024 data from the World Economic Forum (WEF) shows that women in 41 African countries earn, on average, 39% less than men and struggle to receive the same wage for the same job as their male colleagues. Globally, South Africa had an overall gender gap index score of 0.79, placing it 20th out of 146 countries in 2023, indicating relatively better performance compared to many nations, whilst still showing significant room for improvement.

The Complexity of South Africa's Pay Gap

The disparity is greatest at the bottom and the top of the income distribution. The dynamics of the gender wage gap are incredibly nuanced in South Africa, and inequalities in pay are different for the poorest 10% and the richest 10% of income earners.

For lower-income earners within the formal sector, occupational segregation plays a crucial role. Here, women are more likely to work in retail, for example, while men are much more likely to work in construction. This dynamic is known as the gender segregation of the labour market, where we see women working as cashiers and men as bricklayers.

For high earners, different factors emerge. For example, 2 out of every 3 workers in higher-paying management positions are men. Women only occupy one-third of these positions, and women managers earn less than their male counterparts.

And it’s not that women don’t ask…

Recent research has significantly challenged traditional assumptions about women's negotiation behaviour. Contrary to the long-held belief that "women don't ask", new studies reveal a more complex picture.

In their 2024 study, researchers Laura Kray (University of California, Berkeley), Jessica Kennedy (Vanderbilt Business School), and Margaret Lee (UC Berkeley) surveyed 990 graduates of a top U.S. business school between 2015 and 2019 about whether they negotiated the salary of their first post-MBA job. Contrary to expectations, women reported negotiating salary more often than men: 54% of women said they did, while just 44% of men did. This represents a fundamental shift from earlier decades. "While men reported higher negotiation propensity than women prior to the 21st century, the gender difference has grown neutral and then reversed since then," the researchers write.

…we do, then face backlash….

However, negotiation frequency doesn't tell the complete story. Research consistently shows that women face different consequences when they do negotiate – women are willing to do their part to close the gender pay gap, yet they encounter systemic barriers. Men and women (!) tend to react negatively to female negotiators, making women more likely to avoid pushing for higher pay.

Interestingly, the cultural dimension is particularly significant. The gender pay gap, even among top executives, is greater in societies with more acceptance of corruption, intolerance (including religious and cultural dogma) and where there is greater acceptance of violence toward women. Sadly, South Africa fits this bill.

….and, we ask for less…

When women do negotiate, research indicates they often request lower amounts. Even though women are more likely to state a salary request to prospective employers, on average they ask for less than men. Importantly, while men and women consider themselves relatively similar to an ideal candidate applying for the same job, they differ on average in their beliefs about what constitutes a reasonable request amount for the ideal candidate.

It’s Systemic!

The gender pay gap has deep historical and cultural foundations that extend far beyond individual negotiation styles.

Many attribute the gap to societal norms that devalue women's work and the impact of childbirth and family responsibilities on women's career trajectories. This devaluation is reinforced through multiple mechanisms. As compared with men, more than twice as many women engage in housework on a daily basis, and women spend twice as much time caring for other household members.

The Motherhood Penalty vs. Fatherhood Premium

Research consistently identifies parenthood as a major driver of pay gaps. Men's and women's earnings begin to diverge as a result of inequalities in caregiving responsibilities; for example, women may experience a motherhood penalty as a result of career interruptions due to child rearing.

Conversely, fathers are more likely to be in the labour force – and to work more hours each week – than men without children at home. This is linked to an increase in the pay of fathers – a phenomenon referred to as the "fatherhood wage premium" – and tends to widen the gender pay gap.

Despite legislative efforts and increased awareness, progress has stalled in many countries. The pay gap has been stuck in a holding pattern since 2002. More sustained progress in closing the pay gap may depend on deeper changes in societal and cultural norms and in workplace flexibility that affect how men and women balance their careers and family lives.

Generational impact

For South Africa specifically, the worsening trend is particularly concerning given the country's broader socioeconomic challenges. South African households headed by women increased from around 38% in 2018 to 42.2% in 2022. And women-headed households make up 48.5% in rural areas. Even with additional public support, such as grants, these households systematically earn less than their counterparts, and inequalities today will be passed down to subsequent generations of South Africans.

Seismic Shifts needed

The evidence suggests that whilst negotiation styles and cultural differences between men and women do play a role in perpetuating pay gaps, they are symptoms of deeper structural and cultural issues rather than primary causes. Legislation, such as the Employment Equity Act, which seeks to ensure representation of women at all occupational levels and the achievement of equal pay for work value, provides the framework. However, change will only be realised by focusing on addressing systemic barriers, improving workplace flexibility, challenging cultural norms that perpetuate bias, including devaluing women's contributions, and implementing policies and practices that support both men and women in balancing career and family responsibilities.

Effective solutions will require comprehensive approaches that address not just individual negotiation skills but the broader institutional and cultural factors that create and maintain gender-based pay disparities.

[1] SA-TIED is intended to support policymaking in the region by working closely with researchers to close knowledge gaps and is particularly valuable as its researchers have access to the comprehensive anonymised tax data made available by the National Treasury. It is significant that South Africa is one of only a few countries globally to allow access to such data for research purposes.

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