Men’s low participation rate in development programmes raises concerns
Skills development organisations in Alex are determined to address the high unemployment rate through skills development initiatives, however, the low participation rate of men is alarming.
There have been several community initiatives intended to upskill young people in Alexandra, but the participation of men in these programmes remains low.
Thembalethu Development Project coordinator Muhammed Gadimang expressed concerns that their social employment fund (SEF) programme, which has about 300 participants in Alexandra, was mostly made up of women.
Read more: Thembalethu Development empowers Alexandra youth with skills and opportunities
Gadimang said, in Tembisa, about 80% of participants were female. He noted that although Alexandra fared slightly better, with about 60% of women and 40% of men, the imbalance was still concerning. “Women benefit mostly in these programmes, on the basis that you would find them volunteering more than men. Men do not volunteer,” he noted.
Gadimang said they also recruited young people volunteering at Early Childhood Centres. After recruiting them into the programme, they give them a stipend, but since most of the volunteers are women, Gadimang said men missed out on these initiatives.
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With the SEF programme offering a stipend of R1 700 for seven days of work per month, Gadimang said some men did not participate in the programme because they believed the stipend was too little. This problem is not unique to the SEF programme. Mush Raletjana, the founder of SA Job Seekers Movement, said he has also noticed the low participation rate of young men in his campaigns. “I have been observing it with all campaigns, including Imisebenzi Yethu Door to Door campaigns and job readiness.”
Gadimang insists that the issue of the participation of men in these programmes is something they need to focus on. “The question is: How do we get male compatriots to volunteer more, and avail themselves when opportunities like this come through?”
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