Towards a workplace conducive to the career advancement of women

Karen Lewis-Enright,Anne Crafford,Freddie Crous

doi:10.4102/sajip.v35i1.832

Karen Lewis-Enright, Anne Crafford + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.4102/sajip.v35i1.832

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to start designing a workplace conducive to women’s career advancement. Appreciative inquiry was selected as an appropriate methodology, given the slow progress that has been made in addressing gender equality at work. Seventeen men and women working in the finance division of a large organisation were invited to participate in an appreciative inquiry workshop. This was followed by interviews with four leadership team members. While no original ideas or solutions emerged from the interventions, participants of the appreciative inquiry process demonstrated a shift in thinking, more positive emotional responses, a shared vision for the future and improved willingness to assume accountability for change.

Highlights

A recent article in the Pretoria News entitled Women still lag far behind men in the workplace (Bolowana, 2005) highlights that, despite progressive legislation and aggressive organisational policies aimed at integrating women into senior management structures, little progress has been made.In South Africa, statistics show that women make up 52% of the adult population, and have a 41% representation in the workforce, they hold a relatively small percentage of influential positions
On the day of the workshop, the facilitator, who is an expert in the use of the Appreciative Inquiry technique, was introduced
It is interesting to note that interviewees who did not participate in the Appreciative Inquiry workshop did not understand the process and shift in thinking that had taken place in the workshop participants

Summary

Introduction

A recent article in the Pretoria News entitled Women still lag far behind men in the workplace (Bolowana, 2005) highlights that, despite progressive legislation and aggressive organisational policies aimed at integrating women into senior management structures, little progress has been made.In South Africa, statistics show that women make up 52% of the adult population, and have a 41% representation in the workforce, they hold a relatively small percentage of influential positions. 7% of South African directors are female, 3% of chairs of boards are female, and 2% of CEOs are female In response to these statistics, influential business woman and CEO of Transnet, Maria Ramos, stated that ‘SA cannot reach its full economic potential if not all avenues of talent are explored’ (Women in Business Census 2004, 2004). This situation is not unique to South Africa, as a global historical overview of women in management shows that, despite almost 30 years of equality legislation in western society, women managers are still under-represented in the workplace. The majority of women still tend to fulfil typically ‘female’ jobs (clerical, personal services and sales) and women are still paid less than their male counterparts (MacDonald, 2004)

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