Local businesswomen hit glass ceilings, FINWEEK

FINWEEK (English) Page 45

Government may have to introduce quotas if the current pace of transformation in the leadership of top companies doesn't change. The 2012 Women in Leadership Census, produced by the Businesswomen's Association of South Africa (BWA), in partnership with Nedbank and the National Empowerment Fund, shows that little progress has been made with regard to the number of women occupying major positions in large companies. According to the census, South Africa can only hope for gender parity representation at executive manager level in 2050, and in 2039 at board level. In 2010, the census had projected parity at board level by 2031, but has had to revise that because of slow progress. The census reports that while women make up 43.9% of the workforce in SA, they constitute only 21.4% of all executive managers and only 17.1% of all directors.

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