The feminisation of the labour market in South Africa has not changed the traditional overrepresentation of women in low-income, less secure employment. The study by the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) at the University of Cape Town also found that while women's increased labour force participation had afforded women some increased opportunities and power, white women seem to have been the main beneficiaries. This paper examines the dramatic increase in the labour force participation of women in South Africa since the mid-1990s.