Abstract
The gender wage gap exists in South Africa because men outnumber women. Women's standing compared to men shows this. Gender equality requires equal opportunities and resources for women and men. Sustainable Development Goal 5 addresses gender equality. This article examines social, economic, political, institutional, and other factors that hinder SDG 5's implementation in South Africa to highlight gender inequality's challenges. The study employed qualitative desktop analysis to acquire data. To learn about gender and related terminology, the literature was reviewed. The literature review required reading journal articles, books, research papers, newspapers, websites, government documents, and acts. The results show that institutional and legal frameworks have been used to address gender equality in the nation. Despite equal prospects for men and women, prejudice against women exists, especially in the workplace. Uneven opportunity, underrepresentation, and gender bias are examples. The findings show that gender equality in South African national, provincial, and municipal institutions requires political, financial, institutional, and capacity-building resources. The essay offers SDG-5 strategies.