Women still trailing in our workforce
WHILE Women’s Day was being celebrated countrywide yesterday, statistics show that when it comes to the workplace, women still get the short end of the stick.
During her address at this year’s World Economic Forum (WEF), head of UN Women and co-chair of the World Economic Forum-Africa, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said internationally women earn 24 percent less than men, but in Africa this figure stood at 30 percent.
Manpower Group SA managing and finance director, Lyndy van den Barselaar said that research showed when women and men entered the workforce, their career growth was parallel, but at some point this trend changed.
“It’s usually around the time a woman would take a break to become a mother and care for the family.
“Once integrated back in to the workforce, women do tend to be paid far less than their male counterparts. Businesses can play a more supportive and flexible role when women do temporarily exit the work environment,” she said.
According to Van den Barselaar, the difference in men and women’s salaries also depends on the sector in which they are employed.
“South Africa has made significant strides in closing the gender gap when it comes to career opportunities, aswell as fair remuneration. But while some industries have achieved equal work, equal pay, some industries are still in the process of rectifying this inequality,” she said.
Africology founder and chairperson, Renchia Droganis said statistically women are more underpaid than men within senior positions which could perhaps be blamed on perceived stereotypes around capability.
“There needs to be a shift in mentality towards skills in general without a divide determined upon one’s gender. This will take time and starts with cultural changes,” she said.
Droganis’s company creates health, skincare products and spa treatments made from extracts and botanicals from Africa.
But while most products cater for the female market, Droganis said the sector, like many others, was still maledominated in terms of senior roles.
“Although the majority of cosmetic products are marketed to women, one will find that large conglomerates, which dominate market share, are run almost exclusively by a male senior executive team.
And even when it comes to unemployment, Stats SA showed that jobless women numbers are greater than men.
While unemployment in the country is high, the Stats SA 2014 report showed that women between the ages of 15 and 34 years were in a worse position with a 10 percent higher unemployment rate than men.