The following statement was read as the IEJ’s contribution during the first G20 Women’s Empowerment Working Group meeting on Monday, 17 February 2025 at DIRCO.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency comes at a critical moment, as the world grapples with overlapping crises—from climate change and economic underdevelopment to inequality, poverty, and geopolitical instability. Addressing these challenges requires bold, transformative policies that promote inclusive and sustainable development. The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) fully supports the South African government’s commitment to this agenda, guided by the principles of Solidarity, Equality, and Sustainability.
A key priority in this effort, that the IEJ aims to support, is the recognition of care as the bedrock of society. Ensuring that care work is valued and supported is essential for achieving equitable and sustainable development. The inclusion of care in the Empowerment of Women Working Group marks a significant step forward, but it must be fully leveraged as a strategic opportunity to address its systemic undervaluation, integrate care into economic policy, and ensure its fair distribution and support. This provides a rare opportunity to embed care into evidence-based policymaking and advance the realisation of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Target 5.4, which calls for recognising and valuing unpaid care and domestic work through investments in public services, infrastructure, and social protection policies.
We are currently facing a global care crisis of unprecedented scale, making it increasingly difficult for individuals, families, and communities to balance paid work and unpaid care often resulting in poor physical, mental, and social outcomes. Structural inequalities, exposed and worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, have left care regimes fragile and neglected, disproportionately burdening women—especially those in low-income communities. While the pandemic caused immense loss, it also revealed the urgency to strengthen care infrastructures. However, nearly five years after the pandemic, care remains undervalued, underpaid, and largely absent from economic policy.
Globally, it is women who bear the brunt of this neglect. In South Africa, women still perform over 75% of unpaid care work. This work plugs systemic gaps in infrastructural and social support. In addition, two-thirds of paid care workers are women – taking on work that is often defined by poor terms of employment and low pay. This unequal burden, whether it be more hours spent on care in the household or long shifts of domestic workers, deepens economic and social inequalities. The demand for care is only growing. One of the most significant demographic shifts of the 21st century is population ageing, which is affecting almost every country, including South Africa. This trend poses profound challenges for healthcare systems, household structures, and the economy.
To address these challenges in a lasting and sustained way, the IEJ can provide evidence-based policy solutions that elevate the visibility of care and ensure its integration into economic and policy frameworks. This includes advocating for its inclusion across working groups and thematic areas within the G20 agenda. As part of this effort and to advance a contextually embedded approach to the care economy, the Institute for Economic Justice proposes a high-level event, titled: African Perspectives on Care: Rethinking Economies for Inclusion and Sustainability. This event will contextualise care within Africa’s socio-economic context and develop locally-driven policy solutions that respond to regional caregiving structures and historical legacies.
South Africa’s G20 Presidency presents a pivotal opportunity to fully integrate the care economy into global policy agendas. As we charter uncertain waters, navigating increasing economic instability and the intensifying climate crisis, resilient care regimes are more essential than ever. With adequate support, care can be an enabler, not an inhibitor, of economic development and social inclusion. The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) remains committed to advancing this priority through rigorous research and advocacy, ensuring that care is firmly embedded in economic decision-making and recognised as a cornerstone of sustainable and inclusive growth.
[ENDS]
For media inquiries, please contact:
Dalli Weyers | dalli.weyers@iej.org.za | 082 460 2093
Amaarah is a Junior Programme Officer in the Rethinking Economics for Africa project. She is currently studying towards her Masters in Applied Development Economics at Wits University. 
Dr James Musonda is the Senior Researcher on the Just Energy Transition at the IEJ. He is also the Principal Investigator for the Just Energy Transition: Localisation, Decent Work, SMMEs, and Sustainable Livelihoods project, covering South Africa, Ghana, and Kenya.
Dr Basani Baloyi is a Co-Programme Director at the IEJ. She is a feminist, development economist and activist. She gained her research experience while working on industrial policy issues in academia, at the Centre For Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED) and Corporate Strategy and Industrial Development (CSID) Unit.
Dr Andrew Bennie is Senior Researcher in Climate Policy and Food Systems at the IEJ. He has extensive background in academic and civil society research, organising, and activism. Andrew has an MA in Development and Environmental Sociology, and a PhD in Sociology on food politics, the agrarian question, and collective action in South Africa, both from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Juhi holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations and Sociology from Wits University and an Honours degree in Development Studies from the University of Cape Town. Her current research focus is on social care regimes in the South African context, with a particular focus on state responses to Early Childhood Development and Long-Term Care for older persons during the COVID-19 pandemic. Her other research areas include feminist economics, worlds of work and the care economy.
Bandile Ngidi is the Programme Officer for Rethinking Economics for Africa. Bandile has previously worked at the National Minimum Wage Research Initiative and Oxfam South Africa. He holds a Masters in Development Theory and Policy from Wits University. He joined the IEJ in August 2018. Bandile is currently working on incubating the Rethinking Economics for Africa movement (working with students, academics and broader civil society). 
Liso Mdutyana has a BCom in Philosophy and Economics, an Honours in Applied Development Economics, and a Masters in Applied Development Economics from Wits University. His areas of interest include political economy, labour markets, technology and work, and industrial policy. Through his work Liso aims to show the possibility and necessity of economic development that prioritises human wellbeing for everyone.
Joan Stott holds a Bachelor of Business Science in Economics and a Master’s in Economics from Rhodes University. She brings to the IEJ a wealth of experience in public finance management, policy development, institutional capacity-building, and advancing socioeconomic and fiscal justice.
Siyanda Baduza is a Junior Basic Income Researcher at IEJ. He holds a BSc in Economics and Mathematics, an Honours degree in Applied Development Economics, and is currently completing a Master’s degree in Applied Development Economics at the University of the Witwatersrand. Siyanda’s research focuses on the impacts of social grants on wellbeing, with a particular focus on the gendered dynamics of this impact. His interests include applied micro-economics, policy impact evaluation, labour markets, gender economics, and political economy. He is passionate about translating economic research into impactful policy.
Shikwane is a Junior Programme Officer at IEJ focusing on civil society support and global governance in the G20. He has a background in legal compliance, IT contracting and student activism. He holds degrees in Political Studies and International Relations, as well as an LLB, from the University of the Witwatersrand.
Dr Tsega is a Senior Researcher focusing on Women’s Economic Empowerment within the G20. She examines gender equity in economic policy, with expertise in food systems and small enterprise development. She holds a PhD in development studies from the University of the Western Cape, an MA in Development Economics, and degrees in Development Studies and Economics from UNISA and Addis Ababa University.
Nerissa is a G20 Junior Researcher at IEJ, focusing on advancing civil society priorities within the G20 framework. She bridges data, research, and policy to advance inclusive economic frameworks. She is completing a Master’s in Data Science (e-Science) at the University of the Witwatersrand, and holds Honours and Bachelor’s Degrees in International Relations with distinction. She has worked as a Research Fellow at SAIIA and a Visiting Research Fellow at Ipea in Brazil.
Dr Mzwanele is a Senior Researcher supporting South Africa’s G20 Sherpa with policy research. He holds a PhD in Economics from the University of Birmingham and an MSc from the University of the Witwatersrand. His work covers open macroeconomics, trade, finance, and higher education policy, and he has published widely on inequality, unemployment, household debt and higher education curriculum reform.
Kamal is the Project Lead for IEJ’s G20 work, focusing on sovereign debt and development finance. He holds a BComm (Hons) in Applied Development Economics from the University of the Witwatersrand and an Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters in Economic Policies for the Global Transition. He has worked with SCIS, UNCTAD and co-founded Rethinking Economics for Africa.