Why tech must lead the next wave of equality

South Africa enters 2026 with a decade’s worth of measurable progress in gender equality; however, increased momentum is needed across ICT fields to strengthen the pipeline from education into employment. 

Briefly News recently analyzed a decade of World Economic Forum data (2015–2025) and found that South Africa has closed roughly 77% of its overall gender gap. 

This means that women in South Africa, on average, experience about three-quarters of the access, opportunities and outcomes that men do across areas like economic participation, education, health and political empowerment.

This indicator places the country ahead of the global average and consistently among Africa’s top three performers.

The research shows that the country has spent the last decade among the top 25 nations globally for gender equality, but in 2025 it slipped to 33rd place, not due to the poor performance, but because other countries advanced faster.

Parity in education and health has strengthened over the years, and SA women now hold nearly half of parliamentary seats. 

(Source: Briefly News)

Gender equality imbalance persists in ICT sector 

While South Africa’s overall gender balance has improved over the past ten years, more progress is needed in the ICT sector. 

Research from the Institute of Information Technology Professionals South Africa (IITPSA) and Africa Analysis shows that women represent just 39.5% of the ICT workforce. 

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When narrowed to core technical roles including software development, engineering, infrastructure and cybersecurity, the percentage drops closer to one-quarter. 

While this is not a pipeline issue alone, education does play a role. 

Only about 13% of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) graduates in South Africa are women, and even those who enter these programs often cite barriers such as limited mentorship, gender stereotyping and unequal access to high-quality training.

“This mismatch between potential and opportunity creates a stagnant funnel: too few women graduating in high-demand fields and even fewer progressing to leadership,” said Briefly News’ Public Relations Officer Thembisile Tsambalikagwa.

“Because tech is one of the biggest contributors to GDP and a driver of future jobs, gender imbalance [in the sector] carries long-term economic consequences,” she added. 

When it comes to leadership, industry surveys suggest that only 5% of ICT companies in South Africa are led by women, and women remain underrepresented in executive and decision-making roles across the broader technology ecosystem. 

Related:How mobile money is financially empowering African women

“This gap affects everything from product design to funding decisions. It also means fewer visible role models for younger women navigating early-career pathways,” said Tsambalikagwa.

(Source: Briefly News)

Meanwhile, South Africa continues to demonstrate strong performance within the African tech ecosystem by ranking as the third most innovative country in the region, behind Mauritius and Morocco. 

However, it lags behind developed nations such as the United Kingdom, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.

“This contrast highlights that sustained global competitiveness depends on infrastructure and policy, but also on who is empowered to participate in building the future,” added Tsambalikagwa.

Inequality is particularly stark in the labor market, with UN data showing that women in South Africa earn about 20% less than men hourly, are disproportionately represented in informal work and remain underrepresented in high-growth, high-income sectors.

Women innovators rise

Despite persistent inequalities, there are pockets of momentum, and women in South Africa are emerging as tech innovators, founders and builders in ways that challenge old stereotypes. 

Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region in which women are more likely to be entrepreneurs than men, and South Africa contributes significantly to that trend. 

In fintech, healthtech, edtech and creative digital industries, women are founding and leading startups at increasing levels. 

Many of these founders credit online learning, digital skills training and accelerator support as the catalysts that allowed them to break into the sector.

A number of local programs have helped expand this momentum: 

Boosting gender equality in 2026

Tsambalikagwa believes that for this momentum to transform the ICT sector at scale in 2026, South Africa will need to strengthen the pipeline from education into employment.

“This requires encouraging more girls into STEM fields and ensuring that they complete these programs with the mentorship and exposure needed to transition into the tech workforce. Companies, meanwhile, must take more deliberate steps to promote gender-balanced hiring and advancement,” she said.  

At the entrepreneurial level, investment remains a critical barrier. 

“Women founders worldwide receive significantly less venture capital than men, and South Africa mirrors this trend. Ensuring that public-private funding instruments intentionally include women, not as a diversity add-on but as central contributors to innovation, is essential,” she added.  

Tsambalikagwa said that while the gender gap remains a challenge, change is achievable. 

“[South Africa] has already shown politically and socially that deliberate policy and public advocacy can drive real progress. The same is possible in tech,” she said. 

“With coordinated action, South Africa can build one of the continent’s most inclusive innovation sectors. The groundwork is already visible in the women launching startups, gaining advanced digital skills and leading innovation spaces; the task now is scaling this momentum into a fully transformed ecosystem,” she concluded.