When it comes to the empowerment of women in the workplace, it’s too easy to just quote statistics.
They remind us that, on average, women earn between 60 and 75% less than their male counterparts globally and that, in South Africa, they hold only 28% of senior management positions.
The numbers point to systemic patriarchy, naturalised discrimination and entrenched gender roles difficult to dislodge.
Fortunately, the argument for promoting gender parity in the workplace and the importance of promoting women to positions of authority has been clearly made. These moves have been shown to benefit organisational effectiveness, increasing national economic growth and even reduce child mortality.
The motivations are not only ethical but social and economic too. We have gone beyond the discussion of why we should empower women in the workplace. We need to understand - and implement - now how to do this.
In South Africa, most working women are already starting from a disadvantaged position.
The country’s education system, by and large, is failing its learners - girls even more so than boys. In the matric courses offered by Media Works, one of South Africa’s leading adult education and training providers, the majority are women who were unable to complete their schooling. The reasons for this are myriad: financial, in many instances, but also circumstantial. Unplanned pregnancies and familial obligations fall hard on young women, and their education often suffers as a result.
Courses that provide the necessary knowledge and on-the-job training becomes more relevant than ever. Picture: Stephen Lam/Reuters
Even if they obtain a matric, these women are often prevented from advancing in their careers because they lack the requisite tools and resources to do so.
They need both theoretical knowledge and practical training to become the managers and leaders they aspire and have the potential to be.
Early this year, Media Works and academic publisher Juta launched Effective Leader, a course that aims to help aspiring employees become great leaders.
It is a fully accredited national certificate in general management that is ranked at NQF Level 5, which means it only requires candidates to have a matric to be eligible.
The course is comprehensive and covers several key managerial issues, including how to deal with relationships, diversity and conflict, people, finances and change.
As an introductory management programme, it not only helps aspiring managers to gain the skills that they require, it also aids employers in identifying those who have the willpower and capability to succeed.
Although businesses in South Africa are showing signs of growth in developing and empowering women, mostly as a result of the requirements of the BEE Scorecard, they are also starting to see the value of helping them to further their professional ambitions.
As they do, courses that provide the necessary knowledge and on-the-job training become more relevant than ever.
As women further their careers through courses such as Effective Leader, the knock-on effect is that they’re put in the position not only to achieve their own goals, but also to help the next generation achieve theirs. These women become icons of hope and of inspiration for other young women whose families have struggled to support their education financially, or whose circumstances have prevented them from succeeding.
With more non-white women signing up for Effective Leader than any other group, their desire to learn, succeed and lead, is evident.
As more women are empowered this way, they stand the chance to mould their working and personal lives, to benefit their communities, to change the face of business in South Africa, and to transform the country socially and economically. - Article issued by Fox Street Communications
*Jackie Carroll is the chief executive and co-founder of Media Works, South Africa’s leading provider of adult education and training for more than 21 years