AS THE world commemorated International Women’s Day on Monday, 1st for Women Insurance head Seugnette van Wyngaard said gender bias was still rife in South African workplaces.
“Bias is holding women back in the workplace, making it harder for women to get hired and promoted. This negatively impacts their day-to-day work experiences.”
International Women’s Day is celebrated globally annually with this year’s theme being #ChoosetoChallenge.
Van Wyngaard said #ChoosetoChallenge is a hashtag that every South African should take note of.
“Unfortunately, gender bias is alive and kicking in South Africa and is starkly evident by our glaring gender pay gap.”
A 2018/2019 Global wage report stated that the gender pay gap was 20%. Women on average earned 20% less than men based on monthly earnings.
Van Wyngaard agreed with the report, quoting a PricewaterhouseCoopers executive director’s practices and remuneration trends report 2020 which stated: “The gender pay gap for large-cap JSE companies stands at 45 percent, dropping to 39 percent for mid-cap companies and 25 percent for small-cap companies.”
She said if one looks through the industry lens, the difference in the gender pay gap ranges from 7% in the financial services industry to as much as 34% in the real estate industry.
According to the World Health Organisation, it will take another 100 years to achieve gender equality based on the current rate of progress.
Van Wyngard said the fight against gender inequality is a battle that society could contribute to. “Incremental changes today can lead to massive changes in years to come,” she said.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE