Management & Leadership Company news South Africa

Survey reveals current state of gender equality in SA

It's been over six decades since South African women, of all races, came together and staged one of the country's largest demonstrations in history to fight for gender equality. Where are we now?

In celebration of Women’s month, CareerJunction ran a survey to discover how South African women experience the workplace today. Over 1,500 women participated in the survey and the results reveal just how far we’ve come as a nation. We’ll leave it up to you to decide whether it’s far enough.

Survey reveals current state of gender equality in SA

The hard facts

25% of participants have a diploma and over 30% have a degree or higher qualification. When looking at occupations, there seems to be a healthy mix of women in administrative and professional roles. However, 65% of respondents claimed that most senior staff at their organisations are men. 3% of participants are currently in top executive roles.

Career advancement and opportunity

While only 22% of participants felt that there is an opportunity for advancement within their organisations, gender wasn’t necessarily the only obstacle preventing women from advancing in their careers. Top reasons included a balanced mix of skills, gender and experience.

Many respondents did, however, feel that they have previously been overlooked regarding a pay raise or promotion due to their gender and nearly 60% felt that the subject of diversity at work needs a little improvement.

Motherhood

While most mothers took between three to four months of maternity leave, over 35% said they resort to taking annual leave or “calling in sick” when their children are ill. Over 70% felt that their employer was only somewhat or not at all supportive of their duties as a mother.

Into the future

When asked if they foresee continued improvement for women in the workplace, women seemed to lean slightly more towards a “yes” or a “maybe”, compared to a “no”.

For loads more interesting findings, click here to view or download the report.


CareerJunction
CareerJunction is one of South Africa's top-quality candidate providers, with thousands of jobs advertised online daily and over three million registered jobseekers.
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