Feminism and globalisation: the promise of Beijing and neoliberal capitalism in Africa

This article discusses the impact of neoliberal capitalism on women and reviews the promises of Beijing against the realities of women's lives in Africa. The focus is on South Africa post-1994, the impact of Growth Employment and Redistribution, and the neoliberal discourses contained in the New Partnership for Africa's Development. Against this contemporary analysis, the article calls for radical structural changes, a move towards social democracy, and for consciousness-raising among both men and women so that they understand the dynamics of power imbalances and how structural factors impact their lives. Given the devastatingly poor and marginalised positions of the majority of women, and the current lack of labour absorption capacity, the article advocates for comprehensive social security in the form of a basic income grant to positively impact the lives of women in South Africa.