Durban - Despite the important role that women play in society, data shows that there is still a sizeable pay and rank discrepancy between men and women across the majority of job sectors.
Women made up 43,4 percent of the workforce overall in the second quarter of 2021, according to data from Stats SA and published in the Quarterly Labour Force Survey. Men made up 66,9 percent of those in managerial positions, while women made up 33,1 percent.
Job portal, CareerJunction, provided insight on how women are faring in South Africa’s evolving employment landscape.
“Gender equity is not only the “right” thing to do, but it also makes business sense. Corporates that don’t prioritise attracting and retaining female talent may be missing out,” said CareerJunction.
When comparing male and female job searchers, data from the website shows that industries including manufacturing, construction, design, and marketing appear to have more female job seekers than male job seekers with tertiary degrees.
Additionally, women still hold fewer senior positions than men. According to Lindiwe Sebesho, president of the South African Reward Association (SARA), this is due to societal perceptions.
“These beliefs may be subconscious, but many people are still of the opinion that men are natural leaders; and some even believe that women aren’t biologically wired to be as good as men in certain subjects. All these perceptions have been proven wrong,” said Sebesho.
According to a survey by the University of Stellenbosch Business School, only 20.7 percent of the board members of JSE-listed businesses are women, and many of these companies don't have a single female director.
Here is more data from CareerJunction:
In certain categories, more women than men are applying for remote positions. For instance, female applications for teaching positions with a "work from home" option surged by 368 percent, while male applications for remote teaching positions increased by 119 percent.
Other occupations which have seen a more gender-balanced increase in remote job applications:
According to the employment portal, South African corporations seeking to distinguish themselves as Employers of Choice in an increasingly competitive job market, would be prudent to take into account the value that women can contribute and do their part to close the gender gap in the workplace.
IOL Business