The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has recently released their survey Women in Business and Management Gaining Momentum which notes that globally whilst women have increased their share of management jobs and as entrepreneurs over the last two decades, all data sources and analyses report a continuing dearth of women in top decision-making positions, as CEOs and board members. In coming up with their findings, they extend on the terminology used to describe the problems women face. We all know about ‘glass ceilings’ and many have heard of the ‘slippery ladder’ where women do not even get to the glass ceiling as they have fallen off the career ladder for whatever reason before they even get a chance to come up against the glass ceiling. The ILO now talks about ‘glass walls’ which they define as segregation by gender within management occupations.
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Whilst it may not be their original quote, it notes that “one of the reasons why it can be more difficult for women to be selected for top management jobs is their management experience is not sufficiently diverse. They have not been exposed to all types of company operations during their careers and thus have not gained sufficient experience in general management across several functional areas”.
So in addition to having glass above our heads, we now have glass on our sides as well. We allow ourselves to be placed in career silos. We need to stop doing this and realize that a well-rounded career is vital to get to the top. At least metaphorically, we are surrounded by glass, so we are still able to see where we are going. Whether we are able to use our other senses to navigate is open for debate. The survey revealed 34% of the companies responding indicated that retention of women was a problem. Is this surprising when women are placed into these silos, or rather allow themselves to be, as much as they are?
Interestingly, with regards to women in management positions, some African countries do quite well. Of the 124 countries surveyed globally, Ghana is placed 26th with 39% of all managers being women.  Botswana is 28th and Namibia 37th with 38.6% and 36% respectively. Interestingly, Botswana was one of the countries noted that achieved a 7% or more increase in the share of women in management between 2000 and 2012. That is very encouraging.
Like many surveys of this nature, the implementation of company policy measures on how to solve the problems features prominently. The results this time around though are quite interesting and go away from the norm. About 84% of companies indicate they have maternity leave as part of policy. Why are we even discussing this in this day and age? In contrast, parental leave, i.e., no gender connotation, is practised by 51% of the responders.
It is worth noting what the ILO suggests companies do in order to advance women: Explain and provide evidence on the business case for more women in management; network with other companies on good practices; provide good practice examples of measures and strategies to promote women in management; develop a strategy to promote more women in management; design an equal opportunity policy; network with women’s business associations; provide guidelines on gender sensitive human resource management systems; develop guides on measures and strategies to promote women in management; introduce a mentoring scheme; design a sexual harassment policy; and introduce a sponsorship scheme.
It is significant the first item is the need to explain and provide evidence on the business case. There are pockets of areas globally where the business case has been proven and accepted. In these areas they have moved onto the next step of implementation by those who have been convinced. Sadly, Africa to date is not one of those pockets.

Glass Ceilings,  Glass Walls?

In quiet Centurion, near Pretoria, you will find South Africa’s leading rowing boat maker, John Waugh. He lives around the corner from what he calls his office. This is where he and a handful of craftsmen make boats used by everyone from club rowers to Olympic champions.
The workshop stands on a large piece of land. It’s a white house where every room, including the upstairs, has at least one boat in it. The walls and floors are covered with dust, paint, tools and plastic. The raw materials used to make the boats are scattered throughout the house.
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Waugh has been building boats here for 34 years.
“I decided to build boats, working at night, as a hobby, just for myself. I started in my garage… 500 hours later I came out with a boat,” says Waugh.
Cape Town-born Waugh took interest in rowing at 20, when he was studying in the then Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe. He graduated in Botany and Zoology and had an MSc in Marine Biology. He moved to Durban, on South Africa’s south coast in KwaZulu-Natal, with his family to work as a scientist. This is where he began fixing boats as hobby. He became a passionate artisan, who eventually quit his job and moved his family to Johannesburg to start his boat-making business.
“It was a total obsession once I started,” says Waugh.
However, it was not easy to find money to get the business running.
“It was quite difficult [getting funding]. I tell my staff that I started with R500 ($56), which is true. Today… materials could cost you R120,000 ($13,500) could be R105,000 ($12,000). It’s quite a lot of money.” says Waugh.
Rowing is not a cheap sport and those who can afford it are a small, privileged group of South Africans. Waugh’s customers are largely South African private schools and universities. These schools can afford to spend anything between R185,000 ($21,000) and R245,000 ($26,000) on a single boat, according to Waugh.
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The third boat he made was for rower, Colin Graham, who was a member of South Africa’s national rowing team. The very same team, which won the South African championship in 1980 in Waugh’s boat. And then the orders began to flood in.
Italian boat maker Filippi, the most recognized international boat-maker donated a four skull boat worth close to $18,000 to the South African rowers after they won gold at the London 2012 Olympics. His four skull boats cost anything between $17,000 and $21,000.
Yet the industry is not as steady as one of its finest boats.
“We had one winter where we only had one order for the whole month… One telephone call could bring in R250,000 ($28,000),” says Waugh.
International brands are fierce competition for Waugh as some South African clubs import. Waugh has taught a handful of employees how to build these boats in hopes of keeping the industry afloat. Lucas Muruku, who has been working for Waugh for 20 years, says that it takes five to six years to master boat making. Lucas was working as a gardener, when Waugh asked him to join him in his workshop. He has been with Waugh ever since. But Muruku’s job came under threat when Waugh and his wife were violently attacked in their home and left seriously injured.
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“… He was seriously ill, following a violent break-in at his house… He was in hospital for three weeks. We weren’t even sure that he would come back… They nearly killed him,” says Muruku.
After thirty four years of having his hobby as his job, his family thinks it’s time that he retires. For him, it’s not that easy.
“It’s more than just a job, it’s a labor of love,” he says.
Perhaps we’ll see the fruits of his labor gliding on the water for many years to come.

Tag: Labour

FORBES AFRICA SOCIAL MEDIA

Glass Ceilings, Glass Walls?

The Boat Master