The private sector worldwide is increasingly recognising the importance of promoting gender equality in the workplace. Additionally, South Africa has established progressive constitutional and legislative frameworks to support and grow gender equality. However, research reveals that the so-called glass ceiling remains an ever-present obstacle for many women in the country. Many companies still lack gender-based empowerment programmes and documented gender policies for meaningful transformation.
In August, Trialogue and the Vodacom Foundation hosted a webinar to explore how to build gender equity in the workplace. The panellists were Mikateko Nkuna-Valoyi (Managing Executive for Talent and Culture at Vodacom), Shameela Soobramoney (Chief Executive Officer at the National Business Initiative) and Vatiswa Moea (Executive Director of South African Women in Dialogue).
The big picture
Every year, Women’s Month in South Africa draws attention to the systematic biases and discrimination women face, including in the workplace. Even though South Africa’s Constitution guarantees equal rights for women, men still earn more on average than women, with the median earnings for women standing at 80% of the median earnings for men in 2022. It is also notable that the unemployment rate for women has been higher than for men, as well as the national average, between 2015 and 2025.
Vodacom’s commitment to change
Nkuna-Valoyi emphasised Vodacom’s commitment to gender parity, noting that women currently make up 49% of its workforce. The entire group aims for 50% female representation at the executive level by 2030. “These are actual metrics tied to rewards,” she noted.
While employment equity policies guide Vodacom, it also wants to be transformational beyond compliance – and 66% of Vodacom South Africa’s executives are women, Nkuna-Valoyi pointed out. Additionally, 49% of them are Black women.
Vodacom not only focuses on attracting women into the workplace, but also on retaining them. “The lived experiences of women in the workplace shape our strategy,” said Nkuna-Valoyi. “How can we systematically set women up for success?”
To grow the pipeline, Vodacom has launched several initiatives to support girls and women. CodeLikeAGirl targets young girls from disadvantaged communities who would not otherwise have access to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) opportunities. Vodacom also partners with Yugrow, a behavioural coaching platform that offers young women coaching ‘on the go’.
Vodacom’s culture is deliberately inclusive, with leadership setting the tone, according to Nkuna-Valoyi. The company’s Women’s Network Forum addresses the challenges women face in the workplace, while also celebrating and empowering LGBTQI+ employees through initiatives promoting workplace diversity and inclusion. Vodacom’s “comprehensive listening strategy” ensures employees are heard and valued.
Nkuna-Valoyi highlighted the role the Vodacom Foundation plays in ensuring gender equity. The corporate social investment (CSI) arm of Vodacom South Africa makes significant investments in educating young girls and assisting women affected by GBV, with volunteering being another key enabler. One of the pillars of the Foundation’s employee volunteering programme (EVP) is ‘belonging’.
Systemic change through collaboration
The National Business Initiative (NBI) is another organisation committed to gender inclusion and equity in the workplace. Its Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Pathway supports businesses in addressing GBV. The Gender Index measures corporate contributions to gender equality, and the Gender Pay Gap Calculator enables companies to understand pay disparities.
NBI believes in taking collaborative action for systemic change – and as such, it convenes platforms in which government, business and civil society can “share learnings, discuss challenges, and commit to collective solutions”. Because this is not compliance-driven, NBI can create “safe spaces to talk about real issues”, according to Soobramoney.
South African contexts are unique, which is why “home-grown information” is important, she said, adding that the NBI provides research-informed tools to help businesses to act.
Soobramoney laid out three compelling cases for gender diversity – the business, societal and credibility cases. She noted that more gender-diverse companies tend to perform better and have lower staff turnover, which ultimately improves the bottom line for companies. In addition, women typically save more and reinvest in their families, communities and education, with a multiplier effect for society.
“If a man earns R1 million while a woman earns R800 000, ask what that woman could do with the extra R200 000,” she pointed out.
Finally, she noted that businesses can’t claim to be agents of change and social responsibility if they fail to transform internally, which may involve navigating unconscious biases in hiring and promotion. She called out the global practice whereby organisations ask job candidates to provide their current payslip during the hiring process, then use that information to set the new salary at just 10% above their current pay. “This simply entrenches inequality and pay gaps,” Soobramoney said.
She pointed out that NBI places strong emphasis on intersectionality, since “gender doesn’t exist in isolation – it intersects with race, class, age and geography”, according to Soobramoney. She added that true equity means recognising the full complexity and lived experiences of women.
In this regard, nonprofits can play a critical role by engaging directly with communities and elevating issues often overlooked by government or business. While policies are framed around measurable indicators, they often fail to capture the lived reality of women. Soobramoney stressed that nonprofits can clearly articulate which gaps can be addressed, why they matter, and how to raise awareness.
The importance of dialogue
Moea introduced South African Women in Dialogue (SAWID), an organisation that has been advocating for gender equality for 22 years. The non-partisan platform’s “Nothing about us without us” invites women from all demographics to engage and help to resolve issues affecting their own development.
“We don’t engage for the sake of engaging – we consider how to advocate for inclusion, strategic presence and representation in spaces where decisions are made and policies are formulated,” noted Moea.
The SAWID focuses on three strategic pillars:
- Building its own institutional capacity nationwide.
- Advocacy and partnerships. SAWID builds strategic relationships while placing women in advocacy roles, enabling them to utilise their expertise to address pressing issues.
- Using dialogue as an engagement tool to ensure the NPO is drawing in the voices and experiences of diverse women in South Africa, from grassroots to urban settings. “We want to elevate those voices to spotlight real issues affecting us,” said Moea.
Most recently, SAWID has graduated 25 young girls enrolled in a leadership programme and is connecting some of the 9 000 unemployed social workers with work opportunities where they are needed most. While women predominate in the ‘care economy’, including early childhood development, Moea said their role has been underestimated and should be quantified as “it makes a significant contribution to the health and wealth of the country”. She noted that social workers are at the heart of the ‘care economy’.
SAWID’s work is informed by research – it partners with academic institutions to ensure it approaches issues from an informed perspective. “We are making sure our knowledge repository – rich information we’ve gathered over the years – doesn’t become obsolete but is reusable for sustainable impact,” Moea said.
This “ecosystem of interventions” aims to address gender equality and ensure that women are equipped for meaningful participation in the economy. Moea stressed the importance of collaboration – “and not superficial collaboration” – to achieve this goal.
Practical steps for companies and nonprofits
The webinar concluded with thoughts on what companies and nonprofits can do to advance gender equity.
Nkuna-Valoyi pointed out that “there’s no such thing as a small effort” and “CSI begins at home”. As such, each of us should consider what we can do, in our personal capacity, to bring about change in our homes, workplaces, and broader society. “Everyone has a contribution to make, including using your own capacity – for example, do you know a young girl you could mentor?” she said.
On a company level, she said leaders should “lead from the front” and make it clear that they prioritise equality in the workplace.
Soobramoney recommended “starting on the inside” by measuring and confronting inequities within your own organisation with honesty. “Without internal transformation, external programmes will lack credibility,” she said, adding that this applies equally to companies and nonprofits. She also recommended aligning volunteering and development initiatives with equity goals.
On a personal level, she said we shouldn’t forget about educating boys, as there’s an opportunity “to move away from intergenerational norms,” especially where fathers parent them with a less progressive mindset. “We’re all going through a transition,” she said.
Moea concluded by pointing out that non-superficial collaboration is the only way to ensure effective gender equality. She said companies often focus on the bottom line and view gender equality as merely a compliance measure – and these initiatives are among the first to be cut when budgets tighten.
However, it’s vital to focus on genuine transformation – and this is where nonprofits can help, as they have the knowledge and community networks to make gender work more impactful. Companies and nonprofits should collaborate, aligning their strengths and resources to avoid duplicating efforts and accelerating progress.
Watch the full webinar
Read:
- Vodacom’s topic ICT for Gender Empowerment on the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
- The World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024.
- Gender equity persists in South Africa’s IT sector on the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
- Women want to be decision-makers in the tech revolution on the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
- Research shows the importance of driving gender equity in African scientific institutions on the Trialogue Knowledge Hub.
- The National Business Initiative’s Gender Pay Gap Pilot Report 2021.
- The Institute of Directors South Africa’s article Gender equality: why it’s important for Africa.
- Stats SA’s report: Equality in the job market still eludes women in SA.
- How far have we come in Promoting Working Women’s Rights to Gender Equality and Decent Work? by Nina Benjamin, Labour Research Service.
