Advocacy for Women Archives

𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧’𝐬 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐚 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐞𝐥𝐬𝐞.
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐲 𝐬𝐥𝐢𝐩 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬𝐧’𝐭 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤.
𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐭𝐥𝐞, 𝐨𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬.

Bias is a natural mental shortcut we all have and is shaped by our experiences, environments and cultures. It can be unconscious or overt, and in the workplace, it often shows up in subtle yet powerful ways: who gets hired, who gets promoted, who gets heard in meetings or who is overlooked.

More often than not, women and marginalised individuals pay the price.

Despite all the corporate talk of diversity and inclusion, the numbers tell a different story. The employment and pay gaps between men and women in South Africa remain stark, and the so-called commitment to equity is often more about compliance than change.

Workplace diversity is legally mandated in South Africa, and many organisations tend to focus on ticking boxes rather than transforming cultures. The employment rate reflects this imbalance: men are still significantly more employed than women with rates sitting at 48% and 37% respectively.

For the women who are employed, gender bias remains a daily reality. One of the most visible manifestations is the persistent gender pay gap. Women in South Africa earn, on average, 12% less than their male counterparts for the same work.

Beyond pay, women regularly face microaggressions: being interrupted or spoken over, having their competence questioned, or being sidelined for leadership roles based on outdated gender assumptions.

These biases don’t just affect individual experiences, they shape entire systems. They influence hiring practices, leadership pipelines, team dynamics and workplace culture. In turn, this influences who gets a seat at the table and whose voice is valued when decisions are made.

From awareness to accountability

In trying to build a more equitable, inclusive society, we need to confront bias, both unconscious and systemic. While various bias training programmes have been launched to raise awareness on the issue, awareness is not enough.

Structural reform and support are vital to amend misalignments and ensure that equity is embedded into the fabric of the workplace.

Organisations hold the power to create environments where equity isn’t optional but operational. Some critical and practical steps forward include:

Revamp recruitment and promotion processes: Use blind resume reviews and diverse hiring panels.
Measure equity: Track representation, retention, and promotion data across demographics.
Invest in leadership development for underrepresented groups: Give women and minorities access to the tools and mentorship needed to grow.
Create safe reporting systems: Foster psychological safety by making it easy and non-punitive to report discrimination or exclusion.

Recognising bias is important, but the real challenge and opportunity lies in what comes next: taking action. Bias may be human, but what we do with that knowledge is a conscious choice.

Let’s commit to doing more than noticing bias. Let’s name it, challenge it, and change the systems that allow it to thrive because equity doesn’t happen by accident, it happens by action.