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Periodical article Periodical article Leiden University catalogue Leiden University catalogue WorldCat catalogue WorldCat
Title:The Shift to Female Labour in KwaZulu/Natal
Authors:Posel, Dori R.ISNI
Todes, AlisonISNI
Year:1995
Periodical:South African Journal of Economics
Volume:63
Issue:2
Pages:225-246
Language:English
Geographic terms:South Africa
Natal
Subjects:women's employment
Labor and Employment
urbanization
External link:https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1813-6982.1995.tb00236.x
Abstract:The period 1980 to 1990 was marked by a sustained downturn of the South African economy. Within the context of declining growth and employment opportunities, the rate of female participation in paid work has increased in both absolute and relative terms. This paper examines the extent to which gender has been a significant factor in explaining this increase. In so doing, the analysis highlights the conditions under which women have been entering paid work, and the jobs in which women have been employed. The study focuses on KwaZulu/Natal Province, where census figures show a relative increase in women's employment during the past decade of more than twenty-five percent. This increased feminization of the labour force is discussed with respect to two broad sets of determinants: those which affect the supply of and the demand for female labour, respectively. The conclusion is that feminization has taken place in specific sectors, and within these sectors, in specific kinds of jobs which tend to be low-paying, and usually are classified as less skilled forms of work. Moreover, feminization has resulted in a 'double burden' of work for women, since they are still largely responsible for the generally unpaid tasks which make up reproduction. Bibliogr., notes, ref.
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