Study urges success sharing among women

Mentorship and general representation of women in the workplace, for example, is shown to have positive effects on the overall performance of companies and staff across genders, more so when women mentor, support and uplift one another.

Johannesburg - A study on successful female leaders in the Harvard Business Review shows that women with an inner circle of successful female friends are more likely to land executive positions.

The influencing role of women can take many forms. Mentorship and general representation of women in the workplace, for example, is shown to have positive effects on the overall performance of companies and staff across genders, more so when women mentor, support and uplift one another.

Across a range of sectors, there is gender parity in favour of males, meaning women of all races are underrepresented. This parity is particularly prevalent in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics sectors (STEM), including the financial and accounting sectors.

Media relations and communications manager at Huawei SA, Vanashree Govender says women are incredibly underrepresented in the technology space.

“The status quo must be challenged. This does not just mean companies in the technology sector changing their cultures, but also working hard to nurture female talent. With the support of other women who have built successful careers, up-andcoming ICT workers are more likely to thrive,” Govender says.

According to a 2021 study by Deloitte female representation at global technology firms sit at around 33%. That shrinks to around 25% on technical roles. Perhaps even more concerning is that almost half of women working in technology drop out compared with 20% in other industries.

This reflects a need for female graduates to be nurtured from the undergraduate stage. Young women who are exposed to practical work experiences that foster their growth might be less likely to feel supported and capable enough to pursue their career ambitions.

Diversity, equity and inclusion policy in companies should be the starting point for women representation in companies.

Zoho for Startups global head Kuppulakshmi Krishnamoorthy says it is not a question of the cultural-integrity of an organisation if women employees do not feel included.

“To ensure there is equity in the workplace one can begin with creating a community of senior women who have walked the path before and women who can relate to the mindset and challenges of the current generation of workforce. This community should be founded on trust, empathy and solidarity. There should be enough opportunities created for peer-to-peer groups to be formed, which can lead to forging of life-long friendships at the workplace,” Krishnamoorthy adds.

In the tourism and hospitality industry men dominate executive and managerial roles. Reports have shown that on a global level, women make up nearly 70% of the workforce in hospitality and tourism. However, less than 40% of the jobs are at managerial level.

In South Africa, Airbnb invests in empowering women to become tourism entrepreneurs, and last year announced a three-year commitment to address barriers to entry in the industry, and to help rebuild a more inclusive and resilient domestic tourism economy.

Airbnb Middle East and Africa leader Velma Corcoran says: “With the rising cost of living, the benefits of hosting are proving more important than ever and we are committed to unlocking economic opportunities for women, particularly in rural and township communities.”

On mentorship of young women, head of MiWay Blink, Keletso Mpisane says leadership is a skill set honed over time. “The key is not to be too lax and not to be too stern. In many cases, they show their knack for leading at an early age.”

Most domestic workers perform one primary role, like cleaning, but a report by SweepSouth shows that the more roles a domestic worker takes on, the greater her earning capacity. Families can ask domestic workers about what would better their skill set. It may be a driver’s licence, so one could sponsor lessons, or it could be sending her on a course in childcare or first-aid.

SweepSouth CEO Aisha Pandor says: “Helping your domestic worker to start acquiring skills needed to improve her life reinforces the message that none of us are in this alone. Women have been the driving force of upliftment of other women and continue to be each other’s biggest champions. We should acknowledge the importance of all women in the workplace and their role in passing the baton. Sometimes a small act of recognition could be all the encouragement another woman needs to push through a difficult moment, changing her from wanting to give up to feeling buoyed to try again.”

Women’s day 2022

The world has made unprecedented advances, we can create vaccines and ‘end’ a pandemic, yet we can’t end gender disparity. In fact, according to the World Economic Forum, full economic parity is 257 years away!

And this is why we believe in the importance of Women’s day. As educators and thought leaders we need to start with creating awareness, and call out gender bias and inequality.

“It’s important to acknowledge women’s achievements, to address issues that are restricting the acceleration of gender parity, and to focus on solutions to remediate the situation,” says Kennedy Ndlovu, Executive Director, Boston Education Trust

The Trust aims to enable South Africans to play their part in growing our economy. “Institutions and individuals who have the means must actively support transformation, and comply with both the spirit and the content of the B-BBEE Act. The Boston Education Trust is focussed on the advancement of Black Females by supporting their studies in Information Technology” says Kennedy.

South Africa has made progress towards equality, but there is still a long way to gender parity. Women make up over half of the population in South Africa, yet they remain under-represented in positions of authority. Women comprise 32% of the Supreme Court of Appeal judges, 31% of advocates, 30% of ambassadors and 24% of executive heads of state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Men hold 68% of all senior management positions; women hold 32% of executive positions.

Gender parity setbacks of COVID-19

With Covid-19, women bore the brunt of the economic impact. “Setbacks in work force participation and income, impacts on pensions and savings will have long-term implications for women’s economic security far down the road,” says Kennedy. A recent SweepSouth survey showed