A retrospect on Women’s Day and its significance for the modern-day working woman
By: Greer Allison, Taylor Petersen, and Letitia Moodley
Lilian Ngoyi. Helen Joseph. Rahima Moosa. Sophie Williams. These women’s names should leave us filled with pride in a post-apartheid South Africa. However, when examining popular discourse around anti-apartheid activism and renowned struggle heroes, these ladies whose names we mention, seem sadly lost in the shadows of their male compatriots.
August is Women’s Month in South Africa, and the 9th of the month marks the commemoration of the stellar leadership demonstrated by women who paved the way for the Rainbow Nation. Yet many forget why we celebrate Women’s Day; it is considered one of the most important days in our nation’s history dating back 65 years. It pays homage to one of the largest multi-racial, anti-Apartheid protests that this country has ever witnessed. In 1956, on Women’s Day, 20 000 women of all races gathered – from as far afield as Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and marched to Pretoria’s Union Buildings. Their agenda was clear, and their purpose was intentional – to protest the oppressive pass laws that threatened the free movement of women in the country.
Women’s Day March
To ensure the very largest gathering of women, the Federation of South African Women called for a Thursday march – the traditional day black domestic workers were off duty. In their thousands, women responded to the call for what would become known as the Women’s March. Enter the pathfinders, the trailblazers, the wont-take-no-for-an-answer brave, and fearless women whose names should never be forgotten. Led by Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa, Sophie Williams and Lilian Ngoyi, it also included other notable activists such as Albertina Sisulu and Bertha Gxowa. This was a fem-army that would change the very structure of our country. Given the feminist agenda of this historic march it is important to consider our progress over the past 65 years, in particular how the professional world has adapted.
Unequivocally, women have been one of the most vulnerable and marginalised groups in the workplace. Despite laws, initiatives, programmes, and progressive opportunities, little progress has been made. There are still many barriers, biases, and challenges such as the gender pay gap, minimal female representation at executive level, and the COVID-19 induced job loss ratio favouring men. South Africa has seen a total of three million job losses, of which two million were women.
Looking back to the early 1900’s South African women across the spectrum of race were subjected to the lowest wages and given the least skilled jobs. While this has slowly changed there are many industries where women are still underrepresented in 2021. Progress toward gender parity remains slow despite women making up more than half of the population, they are faced with many challenges to overcome. Commonly, women still doubt themselves and question their success regardless of it being deserved and legitimately achieved due to effort and skill – a psychological phenomenon known as imposter syndrome.
Among other top issues facing modern women are little to no negotiation room for remuneration, a toxic work environment and lack of gender inclusivity.
Reduce the SA pay gap and grow our GDP
In South Africa – much like around the world, the gender pay gap is still explicitly apparent, and it is astonishing to see that in the 21st century there are still no countries that can claim full gender parity. According to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report (2021), at the current trajectory it will take 135.6 years to close the gender gap globally. In this report South Africa is ranked 18th globally when it comes to gender gap equality.
Closer to home, the Gender Pay Gap Pilot Report (2021) developed by the University of Witwatersrand, found that from the 28 646 participants in the study, women averaged R72.44 for every R100.00 earned by men.
The gender gap is significantly apparent with many of the major industries in South Africa lacking female leadership. According to research concluded by PWC, women only make up 29% of the non-executive directors of the top 100 JSE listed companies and 14% of the JSE Executive Director positions are filled by women. The difference in gender pay gaps at an executive level differs greatly between industries, with the financial services industry having the smallest gap, and the consumer goods industry showing the greatest discrepancy.
PWC economists estimate that if the gender gap in both representation and gap was reduced by just 10%, South Africa would have an additional 3.2% in GDP growth and a 6.5% reduction in the number of unemployed job seekers. This makes a strong case for equitable remuneration.
Women in Finance
Dr Leila Fourie, has been the Group CEO of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) since October 2019, and in that time, she has been recognised by the World Federation of Exchanges Women Leaders in 2021, for her leadership during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. She too was applauded for her role in the development of the JSE’s corporate strategy, ensuring the stock exchange remains competitive as a platform for economic growth and providing listed companies access to capital. Interestingly, she also introduced a gender-neutral parental leave policy. The JSE Board of Directors is made up of 60:30 percent ratio of women to men. And 66.7% of the executive committee are women. Of all the developing countries included in the G20, the JSE maintains the best gender balance on its board. The JSE supports gender disclosure as an essential part of progressing the United Nation’s Sustainable Development goals. As such its listings requirements necessitate that all listed entities have a policy on the promotion of broader diversity at board level and this must be reported annually. This progressive thinking has seen Africa’s largest bourse, which is 130 years old ranked in the top 20 of the largest stock exchanges worldwide.
Another inspiring leader at the JSE is Nonkululeko Nyembezi who took the role of the Independent non-executive chairperson of the JSE after being appointed to the board in 2009. She is a highly skilled individual with a background in engineering and business and holds a master’s degree. She has held many executive and non-executive leaderships roles over the years, including being the former CEO of ArcelorMittal South Africa, part of the world’s largest steel producer, the ArcelorMittal Group. Forbes listed her as one of the top 100 most powerful businesswomen worldwide.
Women in Tech
Naspers, one of the most renowned technology investors in the world, appointed its first Black African to take on the position of CEO in South Africa in 2019. Prior to this, Phuthi Mahanyele-Dabengwa, was the co-founder and Executive Chairperson of Sigma Capital, following her CEO role at Shanduka Group. Naspers is a $4 billion business in South Africa with a focus on local tech investment. A recent investment by Naspers Foundry of R120m in Naked, the artificial intelligence driven insuretech company, was driven by Phuthi’s team. She is a huge proponent of gender equality.
Cultivating a workplace culture that inspires diversity and inclusivity
The promotion and progression of women in the workplace cannot be understated, and much can be done to ensure equal opportunities are offered. As a start, HR employees should provide unbiased career mapping once an employee completes their probation. An inspiring career mapping strategy session is necessary to define goals, and plot progress for the individual.
Secondly, to ensure female voices are heard and recognised, companies should begin by fostering an environment that allows female employees to feel included and valued. Creating a psychologically safe environment is key.
Another important step is to eradicate the hidden patriarchal values and dated policies often found in corporate culture. Foster an environment where employees are encouraged to challenge any existing nuances that can put women down. This includes microaggressions, covert harassment, and bullying. Employees – despite gender, should not be subjected to anything that hinders their ability to deliver their absolute best at work.
The spirit of abafazi besizwe and the momentous 1956 protest should be kept alive in corporate culture. The march bore testimony to a group of defiant, indomitable, and undefeated women. Let’s continuously remind ourselves of who we are and what we have overcome.
If your company is seeking to implement pragmatic interventions to further workplace gender equality and enable female leadership, get in touch today. Taylor, Letitia, or Greer are available, please email customer&marketing@letsema.co.za or connect with them via the Letsema LinkedIn page.
References:
https://www.nbi.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Gender-Pay-Gap-Report-2021-Final.pdf
https://www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/women-in-boardroom.html
http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf
https://www.pwc.co.za/en/assets/pdf/ned-report-2021.pdf
https://www.pwc.co.za/en/assets/pdf/executive-directors-report-2020.pdf
https://www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/changing-gender-perceptions-and-behaviours-in-the-workplace.html
https://www.jse.co.za/news/market-news/jse-tops-g20-developing-countries-gender-balance-boards
