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By Zimkhitha Mathunjwa

On 9 August, as a South African nation, we celebrated Women’s Day. This period is always an apt opportunity for us to take stock of the progress made to date in affording women the freedoms and privileges which they previously didn’t have access to. Whilst the day is an ode to the women of 1956, it is also a throw forward for us to ensure we continue to carry the baton that they passed to the women who came before us so that we can continue to build a world where women and men can work together to realise equality in all sectors and professions and in society as a whole. There is much to be achieved if we stand together.

A few conversations which I have had with colleagues and friends recently have touched on the Fair Pay Bill, which was put before the National Assembly in June. If passed, the bill will require employers to publish salary ranges for vacancies, and it will also prohibit prospective employers from requesting applicants to share their current cost to company. Lastly, it would allow colleagues to freely engage one another on their salary or have conversations around remuneration, thus removing the clauses which prohibit such engagements.

Gender parity has always been an issue, particularly when it comes to ensuring that the same opportunities afforded to males in the workplace are the same as those afforded to women, whether it is from a development perspective or growth trajectory or career planning. This is more so when it comes to remuneration, according to the latest statistics on the gender pay gap, it was confirmed that “there is an 11 p.p. employment gap between women and men, with women facing lower employment rates… The raw gender pay gaps in South Africa are 32.5 per cent at the monthly level and 20.1 per cent at the hourly level…” according to a (UN Women Study: South Africa, 2023)

What this means is that women, irrespective of their education levels or the number of years they have been in industry, are still adversely impacted by systemic issues that hinder their socioeconomic status within society. Women continue to make incredible strides, consistently delivering results in previously male-dominated industries and often at a great personal cost to them and their families, in their bid to help shape the future of the organisations they work in and the communities they work in.

It is also a known fact that when women are in their thirties and forties, years where their careers are picking up and they are taking on more stretch assignments at work, these are often the years where they are expanding their families and for some they have to choose either or which is hardly a fair position to be placed in. When women take time off from work to welcome the new additions to their families, they often get left behind from a work perspective, and almost have to reintroduce themselves. Many others, who for personal reasons take career breaks to be present for their children, find that this impacts their earning potential as a result of their absence in the workplace.

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Addressing the labour market challenges which women face, especially when it comes to fair pay, is a critical step to ensuring that women’s participation in the labour force is rewarded equally. Solving this conundrum also requires going beyond just pay regulation, but looking at the workplace policies as well. One of the books which has made a lasting impact on my life is Pay Up: The Future of Women and Work by Reshma Saujani.

Saujani’s critique of the corrosive practices driving women from the workforce resonates far beyond the Americas, highlighting a global need for authentic structural change. While some of us benefit from progressive policies like paid maternity leave and hybrid work, true empowerment lies in tangible support, reimagined workplaces, and a shift in societal narratives around motherhood and career. Advocacy, especially with men as allies, is essential to rewriting the future for working women, enabling them to thrive as both professionals and parents.

Those of us who are in a privileged position working for employers that walk the talk when it comes to paid maternity leave, access to childcare (sometimes subsidised), hybrid work environments, etc., should not tire from supporting those who do not experience the same privileges and putting our voices forward in the conversation when it comes to gender parity. 

In closing, I would like to highlight these key steps, which Saujani mentions in her book, that will aid women as we agitate towards equal workplaces that acknowledge women in their entirety as homemakers and careerists:

Empowerment – changing the lived reality of women through tangible support and investment in their development.

Education – a reimagination of a future workplace that works for both women and men.

Revision – shifting the societal narrative and having women show up as mothers AND employees without having to sacrifice the former for the latter, and revising the outdated stereotypes about “the perfect mother” and “ideal worker”.

Advocacy – walking the talk and doing the work to change the narrative for the next generation of women, which includes men as allies in this journey.

Let’s continue doing this important work and ensuring that everyone gets a seat at the table and the requisite recognition.

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