G20 member countries affirmed their quest to reducing the gender gap in labour force participation by 25% in 2030.

South Africa's Employment and Labour Deputy Minister, Judith Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said through the Brisbane–eThekwini Goal, member countries renew and deepen the G20's commitment to achieving gender equality and closing the gender gap in the labour market.

“In 2014, under Australia's G20 Presidency, Leaders adopted the Brisbane Goal, committing to reduce the gender gap in labour force participation by 25% by 2025. Today, we acknowledge that progress has been uneven. While nearly all G20 countries have narrowed the gap since 2012, only about half are on track to meet the target by next year," Nemadzinga-Tshabalala said.

Nemadzinga-Tshabalala presented the Brisbane–eThekwini Goal during the two-day Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting (LEMM) held at Fancourt Hotel and Country Estate in George, Western Cape Province. The theme of the LEMM is: “Living and Working in an Unequal World: Ensuring Decent Work and Decent Lives". It is aligned to South Africa's G20 Presidency theme: “Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability". The meeting will end today (31 July) with a Minister's declaration.

She said the gender goal urges G20 to go beyond numerical parity and interrogate the quality of women's participation: under what conditions, with what protections, and with what opportunity for advancement?

According to her this renewed goal responds to persistent structural barriers and calls for decisive action, including:

• Strengthening women's access to quality employment and active labour market policies;
• Addressing occupational and sectoral segregation, particularly the overrepresentation of women in low-paid, labour-intensive, and informal work;
• Promoting women's entry and leadership in high-growth sectors such as STEM;
• Investing in the care economy and improving access to affordable, quality childcare, elder care, and disability-inclusive services;
• Advancing equal access to lifelong learning, apprenticeships, and entrepreneurial opportunities; and
• Supporting inclusive policies on parental leave and work–life balance, aligned with the equal sharing of unpaid care responsibilities.
  
   

“We are guided in this effort by international labour standards, including ILO Conventions such as Convention No. 111 on Discrimination in Employment and Occupation, Convention No. 122 on Employment Policy, and Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment, to foster fair work environments and support workers with family responsibilities.

“These instruments are central to protecting workers with family responsibilities and ensuring that care work is recognised, valued and decently remunerated," Nemadzinga-Tshabalala also said the second pillar of the Brisbane–EThekwini Goal addresses the persistent and unjustifiable gender wage gap.

“This means that we now commit to reducing the unadjusted gender wage gap by 15% by 2035, benchmarked against 2022 levels. A five-year review will assess whether this target can be increased to 35% by 2035," she said.

The Deputy Minister called on the G20 countries to: enforce equal pay legislation and promote pay transparency; strengthen data systems and monitoring frameworks, including disaggregation by gender, age, and employment status; address structural discrimination in recruitment and wage-setting mechanisms; promote collective bargaining with a gender lens; and accelerate progress through initiatives such as the Equal Pay International Coalition (EPIC).

The Brisbane–EThekwini Goal is more than a statistical target, she said: “it is a call for courage, consistency and solidarity. As we leave this gathering, let us ensure that one's gender does not condition the dignity of work, and that our economies are measured not only by growth, but by justice".

For media enquiries, please contact:

Teboho Thejane

Departmental Spokesperson

082 697 0694/ teboho.thejane@labour.gov.za

-ENDS-

Issued by: Department of Employment and Labour

​ 

​​