The gender-wage gap in South Africa (blog 2 of 2)

In a previous blog, we discussed unconditional wage gaps in South Africa. As a refresher, an unconditional wage gap is simply the difference in average or median wages between demographic groups (say, for example, the gap between females and males), not controlling for factors that influence wages, like experience or education. As a reminder, unconditional estimates suggest that men earned approximately 36% more than females according to the 2019 Labour Market Dynamics Survey (LMDS).

Did inequality contribute to the recent political unrest in KZN?

Several factors were behind the recent violence and looting in KwaZulu-Natal. This blog investigates whether inequality, after accounting for other factors, was a likely contributor to the unrest. Overall, we find a positive relationship between inequality and the prevalence of unrest at the municipal level.

How does rural-urban migration influence subjective physical health outcomes?

DuringApartheid, black South Africans were not allowed to permanently relocate to urban areas, but instead were forced to retain ties to rural ‘homelands’. These ties led to the development ofoscillatingorcirculartrends of rural-urban migration. Today, these patterns of oscillating migration are still highly prevalent. While rural-urban migration is often associated with improved access to healthcare, living standards, education levels, and favourable employment opportunities, the migration process may also present new physical health risks. These risks may be introduced through the failure to attain either urban employment or adequate housing.The following blog reflects on the impact of rural-urban migration on the physical health of the sampled South African migrant group.