Lizelle Strydom, Managing Director, CareerBox Africa. Picture: Supplied
By Lizelle Strydom, Managing Director, CareerBox Africa
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has found that found that globally, and in South Africa, the discrimination of women in the labour market persists. It is harder for women to find work compared to men. Women that find employment are often employed in low paying jobs, where improvement prospects are limited. And young women face further barriers as they search for employment – they are likely to shoulder more responsibilities in their homes, have less disposable income for data or transport, and they are more likely to face harassment at a job interview.
Impact sourcing makes a difference
The BPO sector in South Africa has a great track record for employing women, in part because of a commitment to impact hiring practices. Socially responsible outsourcing strategies play an important role in promoting diversity and closing the gender gap in the workplace.
Industry body BPESA notes that female contact centre agents and knowledge workers continued to make up about two thirds of the South African global business services sector. This is particularly noteworthy when you consider that the ILO reports that the gender gap in South Africa between male and female labour force participation is 13.7%.
Closing the gender gap is beneficial to everyone involved. The World Bank estimates that just 61% of women in sub-Saharan Africa participate in the workforce, compared to nearly 74% of men. And yet, research shows that there are huge benefits to women who secure sustainable employment, with a powerful trickle-down effect for their families and their communities. Research has found that women typically reinvest up to 90 percent of their earnings in their families and communities, decreasing food poverty, and in education and opportunities for their children.
Companies that have a strategic goal of recruiting more women into their organisations experience positive effects on both the women who are employed and the company – Harvard Business Review found that companies that had above-average diversity and inclusion at the core of their business reported improved financial performance.
Entry into the workplace is just the beginning
Sustainable employment is a crucial first step. However, once we place women into employment, we must also ensure that they have opportunities to progress and build a career. While placement into an entry-level position in the BPO sector offers women an incredible opportunity to garner additional skills through on-the-job training and workplace training programmes, a significant challenge for women from disadvantaged backgrounds is their lack of professional networks, which in turn can limit their access to information, support and the opportunities that are crucial for career advancement.
Employees who come from disadvantaged backgrounds need workplace mentoring to improve their chances of progressing up the corporate ladder beyond middle management. This is particularly relevant in impact sourcing models where many of the people placed in entry-level positions in all likelihood did not experience tertiary education programmes or come from a strong secondary schooling environment.
Mentorship has a positive impact
Research consistently shows that mentorship plays a crucial role in supporting women in the workplace. A study found that women who have mentors are more likely to reach senior leadership positions, while mentorship can increase an employee’s chance of being promoted by almost 80%.
Women from previously disadvantaged communities benefit greatly from having mentors who reflect their background and can understand their challenges both within and outside the workplace. Equally, being exposed to mentors from different backgrounds provides them with new perspectives on work and diverse thinking models, along with fostering inclusive workplaces. According to research from the World Bank, mentorship programmes significantly enhance career advancement opportunities for women in developing regions.
Investing through action
Understanding the value that mentorship delivers to women in the workplace and having been the appreciative recipient of many valuable instances of mentorship in my own career, I am determined to ‘pay it forward’ by creating mentorship opportunities within CareerBox Africa, and by encouraging the same approach in the companies we partner with as an impact sourcing agent. In the words of Robert Ingersoll, “We rise by lifting others”.
Lizelle Strydom is the Managing Director of CareerBox Africa, an impact sourcing organisation which identifies and recruits talented, underprivileged youth and women, equipping them with high-demand digital skills before placing them with corporate partners.
The Star
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