Black Women Fill Fewer Leadership Roles, Says BWA
17 Apr 2009
17 Apr 2009
Black women as a percentage of all female directorships fell to 53.4 percent last year from 57.3 percent in 2007, according to figures from this year's Business Women's Association (BWA) census, released yesterday.
The study, which looks only at women in leadership positions, reveals that there were 0.4 percent fewer Indian female directors at 5.1 percent, while representation for their white counterparts rose by 1 percent to 34.2 percent and from 4.1 percent to 6.3 percent for coloured directors.
The BWA included companies listed on the JSE, AltX, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and all subsidiaries. Previously only SOEs and the companies listed on the main board of the JSE were assessed.
The number of firms measured was 380, of which 363 were listed; the rest were parastatals.
The survey had a 94.47 percent response rate.
Companies with 25 percent or more of director positions and 25 percent or more of executive management positions held by women decreased from 58 to 46. The drop is attributed to the inclusion in the study of subsidiaries, which provided for a larger pool of directors and executive managers.
Women now account for 14.6 percent of all directorships, up from 7.1 percent when the census was first conducted in 2004.
Of the 25 largest JSE-listed firms by market capitalisation, five have 25 percent or more female directors.
The percentage of women in executive positions rose to 18.6 percent from 14.7 percent in 2004. When compared to last year, the number of chief executives or managing directors remained constant at 3.6 percent, while the number of chairwomen increased to 5.8 percent from 3.9 percent this year.
The BWA said that although the results showed a general increase in the employment of women in top executive positions, the increase was minimal and not representative of the large pool of women available to take up these positions.
Basetsana Kumalo, the president of the BWA, emphasised the need for more women in corporate leadership.
"Never has the urgency for the incorporation of women into mainstream economic development been more critical than it is now, when the world is facing one of the toughest economic periods since the global depression of the 1930s," said Kumalo.
"This is the time when corporates should be rounding up all available talent at senior level and working towards easing the impact of global recession. This talent includes women," said Kumalo.
The association said women were just as underrepresented at government senior management level. Women in salary levels 13 to 16 made up 34.3 percent. The number of women at all levels was 55.5 percent, with 0.55 percent of them sitting at the most senior level.
The study, which looks only at women in leadership positions, reveals that there were 0.4 percent fewer Indian female directors at 5.1 percent, while representation for their white counterparts rose by 1 percent to 34.2 percent and from 4.1 percent to 6.3 percent for coloured directors.
The BWA included companies listed on the JSE, AltX, state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and all subsidiaries. Previously only SOEs and the companies listed on the main board of the JSE were assessed.
The number of firms measured was 380, of which 363 were listed; the rest were parastatals.
The survey had a 94.47 percent response rate.
Companies with 25 percent or more of director positions and 25 percent or more of executive management positions held by women decreased from 58 to 46. The drop is attributed to the inclusion in the study of subsidiaries, which provided for a larger pool of directors and executive managers.
Women now account for 14.6 percent of all directorships, up from 7.1 percent when the census was first conducted in 2004.
Of the 25 largest JSE-listed firms by market capitalisation, five have 25 percent or more female directors.
The percentage of women in executive positions rose to 18.6 percent from 14.7 percent in 2004. When compared to last year, the number of chief executives or managing directors remained constant at 3.6 percent, while the number of chairwomen increased to 5.8 percent from 3.9 percent this year.
The BWA said that although the results showed a general increase in the employment of women in top executive positions, the increase was minimal and not representative of the large pool of women available to take up these positions.
Basetsana Kumalo, the president of the BWA, emphasised the need for more women in corporate leadership.
"Never has the urgency for the incorporation of women into mainstream economic development been more critical than it is now, when the world is facing one of the toughest economic periods since the global depression of the 1930s," said Kumalo.
"This is the time when corporates should be rounding up all available talent at senior level and working towards easing the impact of global recession. This talent includes women," said Kumalo.
The association said women were just as underrepresented at government senior management level. Women in salary levels 13 to 16 made up 34.3 percent. The number of women at all levels was 55.5 percent, with 0.55 percent of them sitting at the most senior level.
Source: http://www.busrep.co.za/
