A Decade in Review: What It Means to Be a Woman in South Africa

Aug 9, 2021 | Victoria O’Regan and Sandisiwe Shoba
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Researchers say not much has changed in the past decade regarding land rights for South African women. According to Dr Thandi Ngcobo, CEO and founder of the Dr JL Dube Institute at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, “Anyone arguing that there has been progress in terms of land rights for women during the past five to 10 years would be peddling a fallacy of epic proportions.”

Statistics show that 72% of South Africa’s agricultural land is in largely white ownership, while up to 80% of labour is provided by women, who control only about 5% of the land.

Women in rural societies are particularly prejudiced, despite their heavy dependence on land for farming and natural resources. Rules of access and inheritance favour men over women, and women with children over childless women.