Apresentação exibida pela delegação da África do Sul durante o seminário “População e Desenvolvimento na Agenda do Cairo: balanço e desafios”, realizado nos dias 21 e 22 de fevereiro, em Brasília. Detalhes em: www.sae.gov.br

1. Population Trends and Social Development
with Special Reference to Gender and the
Empowerment of Women: National
Experiences Challenges and Successes
BRICS INAUGRAL SEMINAR ON
POPULATION MATTERS: MPUMALANGA,
SOUTH AFRICA: 01-03 MARCH 2014
SOUTH AFRICA

2. PRESENTATION OUTLINE
1. Population and Socio-Economic Trends:
– Reflecting on selected current and projected population
trends and socio-economic trends:
• What are the implications for social welfare?
2. Social Security and Welfare:
– Key legislative and policy thrusts
– Scope of social security in South Africa
– Uptake of social security with special reference to the gender
dimension
3. National Experiences
– Successes – Impact of social security programme
– Remaining challenges

3. 3
Census 2011
Census 2001
DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE: PAST &
CURRENTCensus 2001
• Count - 44.8 million
• TFR – 2.92 children per woman
Census 2011
• Count - 51.7 million
• Males: 48.2% - Females: 51.7%
• National median age – 25
• Over a third of the population is
under the age of 15
2013 Mid-Year Population
Estimates
• Count - 52.98 million
• TFR – 2.34 children per woman
Source: Statistics South Africa (2003, 2012, 2013)

4. SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS
Poverty
• Irrespective of the choice of poverty line, poverty
disproportionately affects females more than males.
• Single-parent, rural, female headed households are
more vulnerable; in some instances twice as likely to
be poor than male counterparts.
• Women are poorer than men and have less access to
opportunities and development resources necessary
to overcome poverty (e.g. land, housing, marine
resources, employment and education).

5. SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS
Employment
• Census 2011 showed an unemployment rate of
29.8% of which 34.6% of females and 25.6% of
males were unemployed
• Labour absorption rate is lower for Black/African
women compared to other population groups.
• Women more dependent on survivalist activities in
informal sector – low wages, high insecurity &
increased vulnerability

6. SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS
Education
• Equitable access to education for boys and girls has been
achieved in both primary as well as secondary school .
• Poor conversion of educational attendance into the
completion of the secondary school phase, entry into higher
education and completion of post-school qualifications
remains a challenge.
• Whilst an improvement from Census 1996 and 2001,
considerable gender differences between the numbers of
men (7.2%) and women (9.9. %) over the age of 20 years
with no formal education were noted in Census 2011.
• Whilst enrolment rates are high, attendance and drop-out
rates remain a challenge.

7. 7
SOCIO-ECONOMIC TRENDS
Living Conditions
• Similar proportions of male and female headed
households in formal dwellings.
• Male-headed households likely to be informal dwellings
as opposed to traditional dwellings for female
counterparts (Living Conditions Survey, 2008/09 -
Statistics South Africa, 2013)
• Female headed households had poorer access to basic
services (electricity, water and sanitation) than male-
headed households

8. FIGURE 1: DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE:
PROJECTED TO 2030
• If fertility continues to decline;
the population could reach
58.5 million by 2030
• Given the distinct gender
inequality of the socio-
economic trends described;
how can the social welfare of
the population (especially
women) be met?
• How does social security
alleviate pressures and
provide relief?
Source: National Development Plan
(2011)

9. “everyone has the right to have access to social security
including, if they are unable to support themselves and their
dependants, appropriate social assistance” S.27 (1) (c)
The Constitution
of the Republic
of South Africa
SOUTH AFRICAN
CONSTITUTION (1996)
“state must take reasonable legislative and other
measures, within its available resources,
to achieve the progressive realisation of each of these
rights” S.27(2)

10. RELEVANT LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK
Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996
Social Assistance Act, 2004
South African Social Security Agency Act, 2004
Road Accident Fund Act, 1996
Compensation for Occupational Injuries and
Diseases Act, 1993
Unemployment Insurance Fund Act, 2001
Medical Schemes Act, 1998

11. OTHER KEY LEGISLATION/STRATEGY
IMPACTING ON SOCIAL SECURITY
Children’s Act (38/2005)
Older Persons Act (13/2006)
White Paper on Families (2012)
National Policy Framework on the
Empowerment of Women and Gender Equality (2000)
Gender Mainstreaming Strategy

12. OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL ASSISTANCE
PROGRAMME
• The aim is to improve the living circumstances and well-being of
the poorest and most vulnerable people in the country.
• The program is provided is in cash or in-kind to enable
beneficiaries to meet their basic needs.
• It is non-contributory and financed through general tax
revenues.
• Subsidies should be transparent and subject to regulation and
governance.
• Social assistance should, as far as possible, encourage
employment creation and formal sector participation.
• Currently (February 2014), there approximately 16 million
beneficiaries most of which are children and the elderly.
12

13. 13
SOCIAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAMMES
SOCIAL
ASSISTANCE
Child
support
Grant (CSG)
Foster Child
Grant (FCG)
Older
Persons
Grant (OPG)
Grant in Aid
(GIA)
Social
Relief (SR)
War Veterans
Grant (WVG)
Disability
Grant (DG)
Care
Dependency
Grant (CDG)

14. TABLE 1:PROVSION OF SOCIAL SECURITY
14
Type of Grant 2002/03 2005/06 2008/09 2011/12 Feb 2014
Old Age 1 903 042 2 098 903 2 234 454 2 682 204 2 953 710
War Veteran 5 266 3 306 1 889 948 439
Disability 694 232 1 299 894 1 416 210 1 230 811 1 117 579
Foster Children 95 216 261 475 445 909 521 435 497 164
Care Dependency 34 978 85 467 102 965 112 788 120 579
Child Support Grant 1 907 774 5 667 220 8 217 658 10 464 682 11 068 718
Total 4 640 508 9 416 265 12 419 085 15 012 868 15 758 189
• Consistent increase in uptake of all types of grants
• Steady increase in uptake of Old Age and Child Support Grant
• Increases in Care Dependency and Foster Grant noted in later years
• Slight decrease noted for Disability Grant for later years

15. TABLE 2: TYPE OF GRANT BY SEX
National Male Female Total
Child Support Grant 111 296 5 989 366 6 100 662
Older Persons Grant 1 009 066 1 942 547 2 951 613
War Veteran 348 92 440
Disability Grant 512 705 602 239 1 114 944
Foster Care Grant 60 075 323 782 383 857
Combination 278 9 427 9 705
Care Dependency 3 627 114 386 118 013
TOTAL 1 697 395 8 981 839 10 679 234
• More females are recipients of Older Persons Grant and Disability
Grant
N.B: Table 2 shows the gender split for all grants except the children's
grants (i.e. Care Dependency, Foster Care and Child Support Grant).
Gender split for these grants show sex of caregiver/parents of the children

16. IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON
BENEFICIARIES
Improving Income Equality and Employment
• Studies (e.g. Samson et al, 2002 and 2004) have shown
that social grants provide potential market participants with
the resources and economic security to invest in high-risk/
high-reward job search.
• It further found that households receiving social grants are
better able to improve their productivity and as a result
earn higher wage/salary increases.
• At macro-economic level social grants tends to increase
domestic employment.
16

17. IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON
BENEFICIARIES
Benefit to Households
• Yields positive impacts in reducing poverty, promoting job search and
increasing school attendance.
• Spending in households that receive social grants focuses more on
basics like food .
• Increased spending on food is associated with better nutritional
outcomes.
• Households that receive social grants have lower prevalence rates of
hunger for young children as well as older children and adults, even
compared to those households with comparable income levels.
• Lower spending on health care, possibly due to social grants being
associated with other positive outcomes that reduce the need for
medical care.
17

18. IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON
BENEFICIARIES
Educational Outcomes
• Social security grants provide households with more
resources to finance education.
• Approximately 32,4% of children lived in households without
any employed members, and social grants and remittances
were vital to improve the access to food and education.
(Statistics South Africa, 2013).
• Samson et al (2004) demonstrates that children in
households that receive social grants are more likely to
attend school, even when controlling for the effect of income.
• The positive effects of social security on education are
greater for girls than for boys, helping to remedy gender
disparities.
18

19. IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON
BENEFICIARIES
Early Childhood Development (Specifically the Child
Support Grant - CSG)
• Children who were enrolled for the CSG at birth completed
significantly more grades of schooling than children who were
enrolled at age six, and achieved higher scores on a maths test.
• Impacts for girls were particularly significant, with early receipt of
the CSG increasing girls’ grade attainment by a quarter of a grade,
compared to those receiving the grant only at age six.
• The impact largely resulted from early receipt of the CSG, reducing
delays in girls entering school by 27 per cent, with girls enrolling
early obtaining higher scores on maths and reading tests.
19

20. IMPACT OF SOCIAL SECURITY ON
BENEFICIARIES
Health Outcomes (Specifically the CSG)
• Early enrolment reduced the likelihood of illness; the effect
being stronger for particularly boys. Boys enrolled at birth
had a 21 per cent likelihood of being ill, compared to a 30 per
cent likelihood for boys enrolled later.
• Reduction of adolescent risky behaviours – sexual activity,
pregnancy, alcohol use, drug use, criminal activity and gang
membership. Significant associations observed for:
– Reduced sexual activity, fewer number of sexual partners and
reduced pregnancy particularly when the adolescent also
received the grant in early childhood;
– Reduced alcohol and drug use, particularly for females, and
with the effect strengthened by early childhood receipt of the
CSG.
20

21. SOME CHALLENGES
• Redressing the urban and rural (especially outlying,
remote areas) imbalance in accessing social security
• Administrative backlogs
• Lack of required documentation by potential
beneficiaries (e.g. South African Identity document, birth
certificate) prevents them from accessing grants.
• Increasing transparency and accountability – both
Government and beneficiary
• Reducing fraud faced by beneficiaries (especially older
persons) (e.g. Loan sharks, money scams etc.)

22. CONCLUDING REMARKS
• South Africa’s social assistance programme has been
expanding at an unprecedented rate, from covering just
2,7 million people in 1994 to nearly 16 million people
today. In 2013, its total expenditure makes up
approximately 3,3% of GDP.
• The social assistance programme has been
acknowledged as one of Government’s most effective
poverty alleviation programme.
• The provision of social grants, free basic services and
the mainstreaming of gender in Government
programmes have contributed to improving especially
women's quality of life and that of their household
members.

23. 1 23
CONCLUDING REMARKS
Poverty reducing impacts
• Child Support Grant is effective in addressing the multiple
dimensions of poverty and income inequality.
• Spending patterns in households that receive the grant is
more focused on basics necessities like food, energy.
• Promote job searching and labour market participation
Developmental Impacts
• Positive educational outcomes.
• Investment in human capital because of improved school
attendance.
• Improved health and nutritional status for beneficiaries
• Reduced adolescent risky behaviours through early
receipt of CSG
• Increased gender equity – educational and nutritional
outcomes

24. CONCLUDING REMARKS
• Improve the implementation of legislation and policies
with continued efforts to empower women by providing
them with choices through expanded access to
education, health services, including SRH services, skills
development, employment and involvement in decision
making at all levels.

25. THANK YOU