South Africa makes global history in the G20 Women’s Empowerment Working Group during its G20 Presidency in 2025

2025 will forever mark a milestone date in South African history when it hosted the G20 Presidency as the only African country to do so; for the very first time on African soil; and only the second time in G20 history, of hosting the G20 Working Group for Women’s Empowerment (EWWG) under the leadership of the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities (DWYPD). 

The G20 EWWG was inaugurated under the Brazilian Presidency in 2024, having been adopted during the 2023 New Delhi G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Within the high-level priorities of South Africa’s G20 Presidency, the EWWG focused on placing issues of women’s inclusive economic growth, human rights, equality, safety and dignity at the centre of approach, continuing to build on initiatives undertaken in the previous years by the G20 on women’s empowerment and gender equality.

Thus, the three key priorities for the 2025 EWWG included addressing the scourge of gender-based violence and femicide; policy perspective on the care economy – both paid and unpaid care work and household and domestic responsibilities; and promoting the financial inclusion of and for women.

The care economy encompasses all forms of care work, both paid and unpaid, including services like childcare, elder care, healthcare, and domestic work, that are essential for individual and societal well-being. It also encompasses care work which is direct and indirect — delivered through the public and private sectors, including MSMEs, non-profit organizations, the social and solidarity economy, and households.

It includes care providers and recipients, as well as the employers and institutions offering care services. The care economy forms the foundation of the economy by supporting other sectors and enabling people to participate in the labour market. It is a growing sector, expected to create millions of jobs by 2030, but it faces challenges such as underfunding, a lack of recognition, and the disproportionate burden of unpaid care on women. 

Unpaid care work, often provided by the family and by social networks of care recipients, is of great value for care recipients, care providers and society. It is  primarily shouldered by women, is integral yet systematically undervalued and invisible. It limits women's ability to pursue education and employment, resulting in time poverty, poor health, and reduced well-being, further entrenching inequality. Measuring unpaid work is a global challenge due to a lack of disaggregated data, hindering effective policymaking. 

Building on previous G20 efforts, the EWWG has been engaging on proposed policy direction to recognise, reduce, and redistribute unpaid care work, promote work-life balance, and strengthen the rights of paid care workers through representation and rewarding. Promoting equitable work and care policies is essential for gender equality and economic growth. Support mechanisms like affordable childcare, parental leave, and flexible work arrangements are crucial.

Promoting financial inclusion for women, key priority 2, is crucial for economic empowerment and poverty reduction, enabling marginalised individuals to participate in the formal economy. It has social and political benefits, such as promoting gender equality, improving financial literacy, and reducing corruption. 

Access to land, property rights, and assets is a critical component of financial inclusion. Ownership and control over assets empower women economically, enhancing their ability to access credit and financial services. However, legal and socio-cultural barriers often prevent women from owning or inheriting property, hindering their economic independence. 

Additionally, women face barriers to accessing financial services due to a lack of banking infrastructure, financial literacy, discriminatory practices, and socio-cultural constraints, limiting their ability to save, invest, and build wealth. This impacts their economic and social well-being. Challenges include lack of collateral, gender bias in lending, and limited financial education, which requires  comprehensive policy reforms and targeted interventions—a shared priority among G20 countries.

The EWWG explored ways to address these barriers for women, while at the same time offering innovative approaches to improving access to financial services for women, including collaborating with financial institutions and international organisations like the World Bank to develop products tailored to women’s needs. 

Gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF) remain pervasive global issues rooted in systemic gender inequality and patriarchal norms. 

Despite significant achievements, GBVF continues at alarming rates worldwide, exacerbated by interlinkages with teenage pregnancy, gender inequality, and the HIV and AIDS pandemic, and compounded by gender disparities rooted in structural poverty, hunger, and unemployment, which disproportionately impact women. 

Advancements in technology have introduced new forms of GBVF, such as cyberbullying, disproportionately affecting women and girls. Addressing this issue requires comprehensive strategies, including legal frameworks, digital literacy education, and collaboration with technology companies to enforce policies that protect users. 

Addressing and preventing GBVF is a key priority, necessitating the exploration of best practices to institutionalise effective approaches. The G20 member countries engaged in comprehensive policy discussions towards eradicating GBVF. Enhancing support services for survivors, public awareness campaigns, challenging harmful gender norms, and promoting gender equality are essential components of a holistic response.

Engaging men and boys is crucial in efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls. Changing mindsets and behaviours among men is essential to effectively addressing GBVF. 

Preventing GBVF remains paramount. The EWWG shared best practices on mitigation strategies, prevention policies, and promoting positive masculinities. By fostering collaboration and adopting a multifaceted approach, significant strides can be made in combating GBVF globally.

This momentous undertaking is truly significant for South Africa in general and its women populace in particular, based on the fact that it is occurring in the year when the world marks the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action during the United Nations 4th World Conference for Women held in 1995 in Beijing, China. The Beijing Platform for Action continues to serve as a global blueprint for the advancement, development and empowerment of women.

Furthermore, it is also taking place when the world marks ten years of commitments made in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. 2025 marks a critical period in this regard, with only five years remaining to reach the 2030 target. Under the South African chair ship, the Working Group for the Empowerment of Women continued to champion the acceleration of SDG 5 within the G20 community.

Overall, the EWWG platform enabled policy discourse and dialogues on the various priorities, as well as enabled the collaboration towards evidence-based research for further planning and policymaking for G20 member states.

It is also critical to note that the EWWG was held within difficult global geopolitics and major “pushbacks” from conventional forces against the major gains made in the struggle for women’s emancipation, rights and equality.

Endeavouring to reach consensus within the G20 community is at the centre of the agenda, amidst the resistance to issues of ‘gender”; “sexual and reproductive health and rights”; “women in all their diversity” and “sexual orientation and gender identities”.  

South Africa remains committed to and steadfast on the imperatives and principles contained in the Constitution of the country and will continue to stand resolute on matters of a truly non-racial, non-sexist and democratic” society. Gender equality not only encompasses the rights and access to opportunities but also the notion that women’s rights are human rights and that women should be respected for who they are.

The translation of women’s human rights must lead to the transformation of the lives and livelihoods of all women and girls – in all their diversity – which is envisioned to achieve substantive or de facto equality for them - all over the world, including for women in the G20 countries.

*Advocate Mikateko Joyce Maluleke is the Director General in the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities.

** The views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of IOL or Independent Media.