Why women ascension in leadership in South Africa is still an unfinished business: Mitigation Strategies.
Women have always aspired to positions of leadership as opportunities to do so have increased. However, when it comes to taking on leadership roles and fulfilling their obligations in the public and private sectors, women continue to face bias and are under-represented. There was hope that with the end of apartheid and the establishment of constitutional democracy in South Africa, differences based on race, ethnicity, socioeconomic class, and gender would be eliminated, resulting in the birth of a society that respected equality among its citizens.
South Africa achieved democracy in 1994, but gender inequality persisted. Most prejudice against women is driven solely by their gender. Because of the patriarchal belief that women should be treated equally, they have faced bias not just at home and in society, but also at work. Women confront this kind of challenge and prejudice regularly. This also applies to people who hold management and leadership positions. Some aspects of inequality, particularly those relating to gender and leadership roles, continue to exist in South African society after nearly thirty years. To address the gender imbalance in companies, the post-apartheid government established rules and regulations such as the Employment Equity Act. Women, however, continue to be disadvantaged and do not have the same opportunities to govern groups as men. As a result, bias continues to harm people in positions of leadership or who contribute to organisational leadership.
According to World Bank data, women account for 50.74 per cent of South Africa’s population as of 2020. Despite their larger population involvement, women are under-represented in politics and critical roles within municipal government. Indeed, this is a global issue; women often struggle to move to high positions in their businesses. Because of the country’s unique socio-political context and historical backdrop, women’s leadership in South Africa is a critical and evolving issue. Even though women are steadily finding their way into leadership positions throughout the world, these roles are still dominated by males and are always limited to them. South Africa has made significant headway in increasing the representation of women in politics. With a large share of female members in both the National Assembly and provincial legislatures, the country boasts one of the highest percentages of female lawmakers in the world. South Africa’s Constitution enshrines gender equality, and the country has a robust legal framework to promote it. Other legislation that promotes gender equality include the Women’s Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill and the Employment Equity Act. The number of women holding high-level jobs in the corporate sector has grown. Proposals like the 30 per cent Club, which advocates more female representation on corporate boards, are gaining traction.
Women are still under-represented in political leadership, notwithstanding their increasing presence. Before the Republic of South Africa’s democratic transition in 1994, just 2.8 per cent of women served in Parliament. This share rose to 27.7 per cent during South Africa’s first democratic elections. In 2016, women made up 41 per cent of the cabinet and 47 per cent of all female deputy ministers. Women represented 41 per cent of the National Assembly’s membership.
In terms of women’s political representation, South Africa ranked tenth in the world in 2021. It ranked eighth in 2011 and eleventh in 2014. As a result, the country’s position has declined over time. Women now hold around 27 per cent of national parliamentary seats and 25 per cent of cabinet positions in South Africa, as of early 2023. Although these numbers have risen over time, gender equality remains elusive. The ratio of women in top executive positions in the corporate sector remains low. Despite some recent progress, women hold less than 30 per cent of top executive roles. Leadership conferences and empowerment programs, which aim to educate women with the information and contacts they need to flourish in these professions, are examples of attempts to increase the number of women in executive positions. As a result, women continue to be under-represented in leadership roles in the workplace and high-level decision-making institutions such as corporate boards of directors and executive and managerial positions.
Women’s development into leadership roles is a complex and multifaceted issue in South Africa, as it is in many other areas of the world. Despite these advances, significant impediments remain, such as persistent gender biases and institutional inequities that hinder women from fully adopting leadership roles. While impediments for women exist worldwide, Africa has unique challenges in terms of female leadership development, education, and training. Women’s identities are subordinated to a wide range of other races, nationalities, ethnic origins, and beliefs. This is very widespread in South Africa. In South Africa, women account for only 26.5 per cent of senior management positions, while men account for 73.5 per cent.
South Africa, like many other countries, has historical and cultural traditions that have limited women’s roles in society and leadership. Women who aspire to leadership positions confront additional challenges owing to longstanding cultural norms and misconceptions that typically limit women’s leadership potential. Women’s under-representation in politics is ascribed to a variety of factors, including gender stereotypes, a lack of female empowerment, and inadequate education and counsel. Women are still disproportionately affected by economic inequality, which limits their access to opportunities, resources, and education necessary for taking on leadership roles.
Structural barriers that disproportionately affect women include limited educational options, unequal income, a lack of mentorship opportunities, and biased hiring and promotion procedures. These impediments impede their development in leadership roles. Women face additional challenges as a result of the male-dominated corporate culture. Women must thus make more effort- perhaps even twice as much – to demonstrate that they are qualified for such positions.
Women currently hold prominent political positions in South Africa, where political involvement has considerably increased. However, other fields, such as corporate leadership, have not always had the same level of development. Women had a disadvantage in politics due to its masculine nature. Men frightened women because they were viewed as weaker in political debates. Women are typically disproportionately affected by combining traditional gender roles, family commitments, and career goals, which has an impact on their ability to achieve and hold leadership positions.
Corporate cultures that do not respect diversity and gender equality, or that are not inclusive in general, may increase the barriers that women face in advancing to leadership roles. To solve these difficulties, a comprehensive approach that includes organisational diversity and inclusion policies, legislative changes, cultural shifts towards gender equality, and coordinated public and private sector activities to encourage women in leadership is required.
The South African Women in Leadership (SAWIL) program is one of the primary efforts and programs created to improve the status of women. The South African Businesswomen’s Association (BWASA). The Employment Equity Act has led to an increase in the number of women joining the workforce. For example, the Business Women’s Association Census (2007) reports that women account for 42.9 per cent of all employed persons in the Republic of South Africa. Employers who comply with employment equity laws and legislative labour market changes have helped to achieve this goal. Employers in South Africa may be realising how important it is to use all available human resources.
Although some rules and regulations promote women’s empowerment and gender equality, how successfully they are implemented and enforced differs, influencing how they influence women in leadership positions. South Africa’s construction of policy frameworks to tackle various types of inequality has received commendation. On the other hand, these policies allowed women to actively participate in problems affecting their livelihood. The introduction of legislation reforms led to an increase in the number of women in leadership positions across many industries. Even though South Africa has made significant progress in elevating women to leadership positions, more effort is needed to tackle the remaining challenges. A multidimensional strategy that involves organisational commitment, cultural transformations, regulatory reforms, and women’s support networks can help to create a more equitable environment for female leaders in South Africa.
Male domination continues to dominate South African societies. This is the reason for jubilation because men continue to dominate all arenas of power, including politics, the workplace, institutions of religion, and other public and private settings. Male dominance and patriarchy, political influence and interference, gender imbalance and discrimination in leadership positions, and misconceptions about women were all barriers to women obtaining leadership roles. To increase women’s participation, the fight against patriarchy and cultural norms that hinder female leaders must be intensified.
Strategies for ending violence against women in politics, as well as political violence in general, must be included in political and administrative systems. Women may achieve leadership positions by evaluating policies, being empowered, and strengthening their leadership skills through leadership programs. South Africa, in particular, should invest heavily in mentoring programs for female top executives. It might be effective in increasing the number of African women in leadership positions. Higher education institutions should promote efforts that encourage women to lead and collaborate to finance gender studies.
Dr Stanley O. Ehiane is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Politics and Administrative Studies at the University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana. He writes in his capacity.
