Seventy years after South Africa’s women’s march, the struggle is not over

As Sophie Williams-de Bruyn stood on the grounds where she led thousands of women in a historic march 70 years ago, her words cast a somber tone over this year’s National Women’s Day commemorations. The country around her had changed: apartheid was dismantled, and democracy brought new freedoms. Yet for many women, those gains remain elusive.

The pass laws that Williams-de Bruyn and her fellow protesters challenged in 1956 were one of the many instruments of racial control under apartheid. But they also highlighted a deeper issue – the way economic exclusion can perpetuate social inequality long after the political system has changed. South Africa’s economic picture is similarly uneven today, with stark disparities between rich and poor.

Statistics show that unemployment rates are particularly high for women. In the first quarter of 2026, the country’s overall rate stood at 32.7 percent, but for women it was a staggering 36.4 percent – nearly 7 percentage points higher than for men. Among Black African women, the rate reached an alarming 40.5 percent. Many more women are not even participating in the labor force.

The economic divide is most pronounced in poorer and rural communities, where limited access to land, productive resources, and reliable public services makes it harder for women to build independent lives. This is a legacy of apartheid’s racist policies, which denied Black South Africans – including women – access to capital, economic opportunity, and social mobility.

President Cyril Ramaphosa acknowledged this tension during Sunday’s commemorations, noting that women hold many high positions in the country but still do not have equal economic security or access to resources. “Women are more than half of our population,” he said, “but they do not yet hold an equal share of our country’s wealth, its land, or its enterprises.”

This disparity between formal equality and economic inequality is a global problem. Women around the world face barriers in accessing capital, education, and employment opportunities. The solution requires more than just better representation or inclusive policies – although these are essential steps. It also demands a fundamental shift in how we understand and address economic inequality.

Sophie Williams-de Bruyn’s words serve as a powerful reminder of this ongoing struggle: “How can we fully celebrate our past victories when our present reality is so deeply disappointing and distressful?” For many women in South Africa – and beyond – that question remains unanswered.