South Africa: Basotho Women Still Face Social Barriers to Work and Leadership Roles

26 March 2026
Afrobarometer (Accra)
By Libuseng Malephane, Mookho Masilo and Martin Lekopa

Most citizens say police and courts should do more to protect women and girls against discrimination and harassment.

Key findings

  • More than seven in 10 Basotho (72%) say women should have the same chance as men of being elected to political office.
  • A slim majority (54%) of citizens say daughters should also be allowed to succeed to the chieftaincy, a decline of 9 percentage points since 2022.
  • Women are more likely than men to support gender equality in political leadership (76% vs. 67%) and traditional leadership (64% vs. 43%).
  • Basotho women are less likely than men to be employed full-time (13% vs. 16%) or part time (5% vs. 11%).
  • While a majority (61%) of citizens support gender fairness in hiring, more than one-third (35%) say men should have priority when jobs are scarce.
  • Women (68%) are more likely than men (54%) to support gender neutrality in employment.
  • Two in 10 respondents (19%) say women are "often" or "always" prevented by their husbands or family members from taking paid employment.
  • The most frequently cited barrier to women's entry and advancement in the workforce is employers' preference for hiring men (37%), followed by a lack of childcare (17%) and women's lack of education or skills (13%).
  • In Lesotho, more women than men have primary (46% vs. 39%) and secondary (42% vs. 35%) education. Men are more likely than women to report having no formal schooling (12% vs. 2%).
  • Nearly one-fourth (23%) of Basotho say teachers "often" or "always" harass or discriminate against girls.
  • Perceptions of frequent harassment or discrimination of girl students is highest among respondents with post-secondary education (37%), youth (30%), and urban residents (30%).
  • Three in 10 citizens (31%) believe women "often" or "always" face sexual harassment in public places such as markets, streets, and public transport.
  • Most respondents (85%) say the police and courts need to do more to protect women and girls against harassment and discrimination.
  • A large majority (72%) of Basotho say it is "somewhat likely" or "very likely" that complaints of harassment will be believed.

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Lesotho's economic landscape is not gender-equal. The country's labour-force participation rate is 48% among women and 67% among men, although among those who have jobs, women are somewhat less likely than men (29% vs. 35%) to be in employment considered "vulnerable," i.e. lacking "formal work arrangements, social protection, and safety nets to guard against economic shocks" (World Bank, 2025).

Lesotho has laid down important legal foundations to promote gender neutrality and enforce women's rights in the workplace, including the Labour Code Order of 1992 and the Sexual Offences Act of 2003. Yet many women continue to face gender-based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment in the workplace. A 2019 investigation by the U.S.-based Worker Rights Consortium found evidence of widespread sexual coercion and harassment at three Lesotho textile factories, quoting one garment worker as saying, "All the women in my department have slept with a supervisor. ... If you say no, you won't get the job, or your contract will not be renewed" (Connell, 2019).

Previous Afrobarometer survey data reveal that nearly six in 10 Basotho believe that women or girls reporting GBV are likely to be criticised, harassed, or shamed (Malephane, 2022). High levels of stigma suggest that legal reform alone is insufficient and that progress requires both stronger enforcement mechanisms and a shift in societal attitudes so that victims feel supported to report abuses.

An assessment report by the World Bank found that insufficient monitoring of compliance limits the intended effects of gender-progressive legislation, while several aspects of customary law continue to discriminate against women and girls, particularly when it comes to marriage, inheritance, and property rights (Seme, 2022).

Lesotho's educational profile is unusual, as more girls than boys complete secondary school and literacy rates are higher among women than men (97% vs. 83%) (Gerbre, Moshoeshoe, Thulare, & Dulvy, 2023; World Bank, 2025).

But political leadership still favours men by a wide margin, despite government efforts to increase women's representation by introducing gender quotas. For the 40 proportional representation seats (out of 120 total) in the National Assembly, Lesotho's "zebra list" model requires political parties to submit candidate lists alternating male and female candidates (Independent Electoral Commission, 2011). Women now hold 30 (25%) of National Assembly seats, and three of 15 cabinet members are women (Ndebele, 2022; Inter-Parliamentary Union, 2022). In 2022, Nthomeng Majara became the first woman appointed as deputy prime minister (Likotsi, 2022).

At the local level, a quota system requires at least 30% women's representation on local councils (Ndebele, 2022); women now make up 34% of local government councillors (Independent Electoral Commission, 2023). And as for traditional leadership, princesses are still denied the right to succeed to the chieftaincy, in accordance with a 2013 High Court ruling (Ndebele, 2022).

Afrobarometer's most recent survey findings show that more than seven in 10 Basotho say women and men should have an equal chance to be elected. A smaller majority agree that daughters should enjoy the same right of succession to the chieftaincy as sons, though the proportion who share this view is down from 2022.

Six in 10 Basotho say men and women should have equal rights to a job, though more than one-third think men should receive priority when jobs are scarce. Women are more likely than men to support gender neutrality in hiring.

Asked about the main barrier to women's employment, close to four in 10 respondents cite employers' preference for hiring men, while more than one in 10 point to a lack of childcare and inadequate skills or education among women.

Some women face additional constraints in the home: Almost one-fifth of citizens say family members and spouses often prevent women from taking up paid work.

Women are more educated than men at primary- and secondary-school levels, but nearly one-fourth of citizens say girls are frequently harassed or discriminated against by teachers.

Public spaces are not always safe, either: About three in 10 Basotho say women frequently experience sexual harassment in public spaces. Nearly three-fourths of respondents say women or girls will likely be believed if they complain about harassment or discrimination, but a vast majority believe the police and courts need to do more to protect women and girls from these threats.

Libuseng Malephane Libuseng Malephane is the national investigator for Lesotho.

Mookho Masilo Mookho Masilo is the communications manager for Advision Lesotho, the Afrobarometer national partner in Lesotho.

Martin Lekopa Martin Lekopa is a statistician at Advision Lesotho.

Read the original article on Afrobarometer.

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