BWA Calls for Gender Diversity

BWA calls for gender diversity as a JSE listing requirement as 2011 women in leadership census is released

Johannesburg, 25 March 2011 – Leading women’s organisation, the Businesswomen’s Association (BWA) today released the results of its 2011 BWA South African Women in Leadership Census sponsored by Nedbank and the Department of Trade & Industry (DTI). The Census results were announced amidst calls for gender diversity to become a pre-requisite for listing on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE).

BWA President, Kunyalala Maphisa said the BWA was concerned at the continued underrepresentation and the slow pace at which women were being incorporated into the corporate space at senior level and that left to market forces, this will never change.

“Year on year, the Women in Leadership Census reveals that although there is a slight increase in the employment of women in top executive positions, this increase is minimal and does not at all represent the large pool of highly competent women who can take up these positions. We see 0.1% movements in figures which in real terms does not represent any notable developments on the ground.

“As a result, we, as the BWA are proposing that effective measures be put into place that will break the glass ceiling and give deserving women the opportunity to take up senior management positions and therefore contribute to the economic development of this country. We are advocating for the inclusion of a clause that will make gender diversity a mandatory requirement for companies wishing to be listed on the JSE,” she said.

Maphisa added that the Census continued to show that women are not being taken seriously as there are still companies that have a 0% representation of directors and executive managers.  Maphisa emphasized the need for concerted efforts to rope in more women into the higher echelons of corporate leadership.

“We have conducted this Census each and every year for the last 8 years in an attempt to demonstrate the blatant lack of women’s advancement in corporate South Africa. The trend has remained the same over the years. Whilst we are cognizant of the fact that gender transformation will not happen successfully overnight, we are however concerned at the slow pace and the lack of interest displayed by some corporates in promoting women to leadership positions. We believe that making gender diversity a pre-requisite for listing will go a long way in overcoming this lack of development,’ she said.

In an effort to make the Census as representative as possible, in 2009 the BWA expanded the exercise to include Alternate Exchange (Alt-X) companies as well as the subsidiaries of all JSE-listed companies (Main Board and Alt-X) and the subsidiaries of all SOEs. Previously, only those companies listed on the Main Board of the JSE and SOEs were included in the Census. Also, for the third year running, the 2011 Census also measures the progress of women in leadership positions within government departments.