For the greater period of history, femininity has been perceived as a weakness and in the business space particularly – an inconvenience. Time and education, however, have shown the opposite to be true. If anything, a woman’s feminine traits and attributes benefit families, society, and men alike. Embracing diversity and the inclusion of women in all spaces has proven to bring the much-needed balance. For example, a gender- diverse corporate culture has helped many corporates create a balance between voices, representation, as well as the diversity of thought that is needed to meet the unique business needs.
“There is an undeniable shift from making space for women at the table – to now exploring their offerings. This is also evident across segments of society – and we see this especially in our research aimed at understanding the dynamics of communities and our customers – women can no longer be denied as valuable members of society,” says Carol Mazaka, Head: of 1Life Customer Service. ” From being generational wealth builders, heads of households, and lucrative leaders in business, this understanding of women in society has also been at the heart of our efforts to foster an inclusive workplace for men and women alike. This approach is one of the key opportunities for businesses to offer products and services that are tailored to the customers based on who they are and how they are progressing and evolving.”
Despite the significant progress made in some organisations over the past few years, sadly, gender inequality remains. In fact, the 2023 Gender Based Violence (GBV) research by The University of Johannesburg (UJ), in partnership with KPMG South Africa and the Shared Value Africa Initiative (SVAI), revealed some concerning stats on the matter. According to the report, women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same work, globally – setting them back tremendously, in comparison to their male counterparts – from an economic growth perspective.
“Gender equality is a basic human right, and a crucial element in reducing poverty and fostering sustainable economic growth,” states Ignatius Sehoole, CEO of KPMG in Southern Africa and Africa Chairman. “Multisectoral collaboration is essential, meaning that effective coordination among various stakeholders such as governments, NGOs, civil society, academia, and the private sector, are necessary to collectively reach a beneficial result,” says Sehoole.
“We owe immense gratitude to women in history and today for being bold and courageous. In 2024, our duty is to continue to make a deliberate effort to identify talent, mentor, sponsor, and advance women all around us, every day. At L2D, we are
proud to advocate for women by showcasing concrete actions, such as through our #1WomenAtATime initiative aimed at advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, and a place where we all belong,” says Amelia Beattie, Chief Executive at Liberty Two Degrees. “For me, modern day femininity is a tough mind with a tender heart, the embodiment of strength and compassion, to create a powerful force of positive change for women,” adds Beattie.
While doing the work at employment level is great, investing in women empowerment from the tender ages of 13 years old would yield an even greater benefit for women and society. The key is to help women understand their femininity and how much of a strength it is.
The Founder of TEARS Foundation, Mara Glennie, is a firm believer in empowering women, especially young girls, to be courageous from a young age – thus the youth empowerment campaign, SPEAK UP!
“Women need to know that they have a voice, and that they are being heard and seen.” This is why we aspire to educate the youth in our communities about the significance of voicing their concerns and opposing gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. The Speak Up project aims to inform South African adolescents through data free educational videos on relevant topics.
“We believe that the youth shouldn’t have to navigate the world on their own and should have access to the necessary information and support” says Mara Glennie, founder of TEARS Foundation.
Our hope is to teach more of the youth the importance of speaking out and taking up a stand against gender-based violence and femicide in South Africa. Our passion behind the project is to continue spreading awareness but assist in the alarming rates of teen pregnancy statistics. Our aim with Speak Up is to empower South African adolescents and guide them to make informed decisions about their rights, their bodies and healthy relationships, and most importantly, that saying ‘no’ and speaking up when you are being violated, is a basic human right. By providing a comprehensive age-appropriate education content program we believe we will make an impact.
“We are confident that through comprehensive, age-appropriate educational programs, and partnerships with public and private sectors – collectively as society, we can create a society that empowers, enables and protects women as the economic and community treasures they are,” concludes Glennie.
