The four-day engagement, which concludes on Friday, brings together G20 member states and invited countries to promote women's participation in the economy, leadership, governance, and decision-making. It also seeks to enhance women's ownership and control in various sectors.

SA Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Minister, Sindisiwe Chikunga, highlighted the often-overlooked contribution of women to the care economy.

"The care economy is that economy that is mainly done by women at home, taking care of children, taking care of sick family members, washing dishes, cleaning the house, etc. It contributes a lot in the normal economy.

"You will not be here if there was no one who ensured that there’s food in the house, the house is clean, your dresses are ironed and washed. And therefore, behind this main economy, there is a care economy that is not recognised," she said.

The meeting forms part of a broader global effort to recognise and address the structural inequalities faced by women, and to ensure that their roles in both the formal and informal economies are valued and supported.

--SABC/ChannelAfrica--