Women Leadership Seminar, JHB Theatre 13/09/2013 Dr Nozi Mjoli

• Do we have a common understanding of the meaning of gender mainstreaming?

• Commitment of the SA government to gender equality

• Business case for gender diverse leadership

• Creating a gender sensitive workplace

• Conclusion

Gender = women

Gender equality = treat women the same as men

Gender mainstreaming – women’s problem, appoint women to fix their problem

Gender quotas – appointing women with no qualifications to leadership positions

Gender diversity fosters creativity and innovation because of diverse perspectives, experiences and backgrounds that women and men bring to the decision-making processes.

Signatory of the MDGs

Signatory of the SADC Protocol on Gender & development (target for 50:50 gender representation in decision-making structures in public and private sector by 2015)

SA Constitution guarantees gender equality

Employment Equity Act

National Gender institutions are in place (CGE & Ministry of Women etc)

• EEC Annual Report 2012

54.8% of economically active people are men

45.2% of EAP are women

Between 2002 and 2012, male representation in top management decreased from 86.2% to 80.1%

During the same period female representation in top management increased from 13.7% to 19.8% (6.1% increase)

• % of men in senior management decreased from 78.5% to 69.2% between 2002 and 2012

• % of women in senior mgmt increased from 21.6% to 30.7% between 2002 and 2012.

• 2011/12 Budgets allocated to Gender Equality institutions

DWCPD budget allocation = R87.997 million

CGE budget = R55.15 million

What is working?

Contributed to the increase in the participation of women in political leadership positions at all levels of government in SA -38% in 2011 LG election

Created opportunities for women to be appointed to top leadership positions in government and SOEs in SA

Too much focus on legal compliance without acknowledging female leadership qualities

Tokenism - women are appointed to meet the quotas without addressing structural barriers

Lack of capacity building programmes for preparing women for the new roles limit the positive impacts of including women in decision-making positions

Women are expected to adapt to a workplace culture defined by men to meet the needs of men

Focus on fixing women so that they can lead like men

Gender mainstreaming programmes not treated as a strategic priority but lumped with other programmes such as youth, people with disabilities, HIV/AIDS etc

No initiatives implemented to change the attitudes of men towards gender mainstreaming

Drivers of change

Globalization

Advances in information and communications technology

Knowledge economy

Traditional top down leadership style or Command & Control -redundant

Organizational charts of the 20th century that are characterised by linear and organized silos are not suitable for employees who work best when they can network and collaborate

The 21st century business environment is characterized by rapid change and high levels of uncertainty that require quick decision-making

The internet connectivity has increased the competition for talent

Leaders must be life-long learners

Leaders must be service oriented

Leaders must be authentic and have integrity

Strategic thinkers with ability to adapt and innovate

Inclusiveness –engaging employees in decision-making to draw from diverse perspectives

Transformational leaders that inspire all employees to give their best

Women are the majority of the population in SA

Women represent 50% of the talent pool

More women are becoming better educated than men – in 2010, women accounted for 60.7% of new university graduates (93 224)

Women are the source of fresh innovative ideas

Women dominate the market in every sector

Women make the majority of purchasing decisions because of their growing economic power

Robust work ethic – they consistently work hard and give more than 100%

Results orientation – they focus on adding value and improving the bottom line for their organizations

Persistence in getting feedback – they have a mindset of accepting criticism that helps them to grow

Team leadership – they inspire and motivate their teams to give their best to the organization

Men are usually motivated by power and desire to control resources (human& financial)

Women are motivated by the following:

Desire to make a difference

Women are attracted to companies that contribute to greater good for society

Desire to be recognized for their contribution

Increase in innovation – multiplicity of ideas and diverse perspectives lead to better outcomes

Increased productivity – inspirational & persuasive leadership and higher social sensitivity

Increased employee satisfaction – creation of a people-friendly working environment

Improved competitiveness – better insight on the needs of the female and male market

Improved bottom line – better services to the different target markets

Indicator

Company A Company B

Male Female Male Female

Board gender diversity

7 1 7 4

Executive mgmt diversity

7 0 7 5

Profit/ (loss)

(R2 billion) R2.05 billion

Change mindset of men and women

Top leadership must champion gender diversity

Eliminate all gender biases in HR policies

Offer mentoring and coaching for high potential female talent

Eliminate disparity in remuneration for men and women in same positions with similar qualifications and experience

Fortune magazine’s 100 best companies to work for are people friendly and gender sensitive (Google was ranked no.1 in 2012).

The following factors appeal to women and men:

Learning organisation –encourages employees to work on projects that have global impact

Creates a sense of belonging for all employees

Supports work/life balance for all employees

Trust – promote innovation through encouraging employees to take risks

Treat employees as assets – they nurture their employees because they believe that happy employees are more productive

Support personal development for the employees by creating a win-win situation for the employer and employee

The changes in the workplace of the 21st century are providing women and men with the opportunity to write new workplace rules that are based on values and interests of women and men.

The unique feminine leadership qualities that women bring to the workplace must be recognized and acknowledged by male and female employees.

LET US BECOME ADVOCATES FOR GENDER DIVERSE LEADERSHIP FOR A BETTER WORLD THAT WORKS FOR WOMEN AND MEN!!!