At the just-concluded 3rd Strategic Leader’s Summit, you must have heard or come across Ms Shenina Aheebwa, the Human Capital International Country Manager. Ms. Aheebwa was the company’s face, all the gentlemen in the company, supporting her from behind the scenes.

“I believe in organisations giving equal support to all genders. HCI has demonstrated this in the recruitment and promotions,” Ms Aheebwa says.

Over the years, significant gains have been made in bridging the gender parity in informal employment and entrepreneurship representation in our societies.

Deliberate initiatives by governments, such as affirmative actions and free education, are gradually paying off. It is not surprising today, therefore, to see a growing number of female organisational honchos such as Ms Aheebwa.

The same positive changes are happening in politics and corporations.

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But do not get excited yet. The gap between men and women occupying C-suite positions is still vast; never mind that women form the most significant African population.

In this series dedicated to Women Empowerment, as we mark International Women’s Day, we highlight three key barriers that need to be addressed by all to achieve gender equity. 

Stop seeing competence and work commitment through gender lenses.

If you are a female professional, I am sure you have met people who doubt your competence and commitment to work based on your sex.

Many employers and co-workers still think that some tasks are reserved for men and others for women. This archaic gender notion sadly entrenches the century-old thinking that women belong to the kitchen and childbearing.

Many women have been nurtured to be good wives and mothers but not equipped psychologically and economically enough to rub shoulders with men in business and the job markets.

Organisations should, therefore, not hire or consider promotion on account of gender. A fair system where both men and women prosper based on their natural and nurtured abilities will inspire more women to take up commanding roles.

HCI concurs with the World Bank report, which tasks organisations to encourage gender equality because it can enhance productivity, improve development outcomes, and make institutions more representative.

Address specific women employee needs

A company’s Human Resource policy forms the organisational culture that either engages or disengages a given gender.

There are specific demands that career women cannot run away from.

In their lifetime, for instance, women may decide to start a family and bear children. This decision comes with extraordinary responsibilities that can make or break a female employee.

The HR policy should ensure those female employees have job security, preserving their promotion opportunities even when they go on maternity leave. Organisations must have senior female mentors to guide young female employees on balancing their family and career responsibilities such that neither is sacrificed; the family must thrive; career progression must not be compromised.

Flexible working hours, including remote working, which is now a different normal, should be adopted to cater to women’s needs. According to the University of York, organisations need to adopt a policy that grants women maternity leaves regardless of the length of service or hours of work

Invest in yourself first 

Let’s face it. There is no free lunch in town. Companies can only survive when their human resource is competent and innovative. This means that companies will not recruit or promote people based on gender but rather on competence or prospects of competence. Career women need to invest in themselves through acquiring new knowledge and expanding their world view through reading, schooling, or training.

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Naturally, women tend to be more caring. According to the Ellevate blog, 75 per cent of women have a terrible reputation of putting other people first, even when it comes to their health, friends, family, and career. Well, caring is not bad, but you need to care about yourself first.

In conclusion

The dilemmas, as mentioned above, if not addressed, will continue to stall women’s advancement and locks gender inequality in workplaces.

Young women hoping to join the corporate club should get out of their comfort zone and abandon the story of ‘I am a woman; I will get a man who will take care of me’. As a society, we should all join hands to sort out and help the up-and-coming young women professionals who are our mothers, sisters, and wives to deal with the above challenges.

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