[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]By Dr Michele Ruiters, Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) 

Gender diversity within companies has improved over the last decade through initiatives like employment equity requirements, the Johannesburg Stock Exchange gender reports for listed companies, and just the simple reason that gender equity makes business sense. The United Nations women’s call is that gender equality is a human right, not just a business imperative. So why do women still argue that their company presence is not based on true inclusion? 

Historically, organisations were set up for male factory workers and have not changed much since. Women worked from home in cottage industries, taking care of their families and engaged in work that could be undertaken at home, like spinning, weaving, and lace-making. This was the industrial revolution in the north. When organisational structures and work were exported worldwide, they largely kept the structures, rules and practices set up during the 1900s. As women started working outside the home, they felt that organisations were not welcoming to them. Research on women in corporations worldwide shows that not much has changed. The McKinsey and LeanIn.org Women in the Workplace annual report for 2024 notably states that ‘progress is not parity’. 

The numbers look positive for women in executive and board positions, so businesses have progressed in addressing representation concerns.  The promotion pipeline is healthy, but women often argue that when they get to ‘the top’, they must work even harder to be taken seriously and heard. This phenomenon is known as the ‘glass cliff’ because staying at the top requires grit and a survival strategy, as the rules for women are constantly changing. 

Companies are providing coaching and ‘development’ training for women, which has aided the progression of women up the ladder. Still, there are more barriers that women face that go beyond training and promotions. Women in middle management, where most women find themselves in companies, report that their work is often more operational than strategic; therefore, once they get into senior positions, they have not sufficiently been exposed to strategic processes or debates before making decisions. A 2020 paper refers to it as masculine defaults. They’ve been given a chair in the room where the culture disadvantages them. 
[/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https://www.topbusinesswomen.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/christina-wocintechchat-com-HG9M8M29Ig4-unsplash-scaled.jpg” title_text=”christina-wocintechchat-com-HG9M8M29Ig4-unsplash” admin_label=”Image” _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.3″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]Biased (conscious or unconscious) organisational culture is the most significant barrier to women’s full participation in organisations. Organisational culture is described as ‘the way we do things around here’. It goes beyond the culture evident on the walls and in the processes and policies. Culture appears to be very easy when one has been immersed in it for a time. At the same time, new entrants, through promotion or employment, feel excluded until they know how to navigate the systems, relationships and ways of being in the organisation. 

Organisational culture can destroy a strategy for gender representation. The organisation has plans to improve the numbers at the top. Still, the male-dominated culture makes it difficult for those women who achieve promotion to the executive and board rooms. For example, women say they don’t feel they belong in those rooms because the decisions are made outside the meetings. Male colleagues have done well in networking outside the boardroom and making decisions on those occasions. Women feel they are not invited into those spaces and, therefore, are spectators rather than co-creators in the executive or boardroom. In an African Business article in 2023, Fhulu Badugela, the CEO of MultiChoice Africa Holdings, wrote, ‘Ensuring greater inclusion, acceptance and participation in leadership positions goes beyond hiring the legislatively determined number of women to fit a quota’. 

The optics look good in companies, but what can be done to improve women’s experiences in the rooms where decisions are made? The most important question is to ask – who is not in the room or whose voice has not been heard yet? The first step is to  acknowledge that there is a culture that may disadvantage women in senior positions. How, when and where are decisions made? Are women present in those spaces and at those times? What can be done to make decision-making more inclusive? This requires the senior executives to acknowledge that they have a bias. 

Secondly, practice allyship. Support women in the executive ranks and pipeline to ensure they succeed in their leadership journeys. Research has shown that women with male sponsors or mentors do well in their progression to senior leadership roles because men have access to those spaces and can support them in their absence. Allyship programmes can be introduced formally as part of a progression programme. This is generally a two-way relationship where the women can also provide their gendered perspectives on organisational culture to the men with whom they work. 

Finally, policies, systems and procedures are gendered. A gender audit should be undertaken to assess an organisation’s policies, systems, and procedures. The masculine bias mentioned above is also evident in those parts of the business. The gender-blind approach to the workplace does not make it easy for women to belong; therefore, efforts should be directed at acknowledging that women have different social and physical needs in their career and workplace journeys. A gender-aware approach says we are different but have equal opportunities to excel in our careers. 

 
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