The world is marking International Women’s Day on Friday, 8 March 2019, and the global campaign theme continues all year long to encourage action towards gender equity.
Organisers say on their website: “From grassroots activism to worldwide action, we are entering an exciting period of history where the world expects balance. We notice its absence and celebrate its presence.
“Balance drives a better working world. Let’s all help create a #BalanceforBetter.”
The 2019 #BalanceforBetter campaign runs all year long. It doesn’t end on International Women’s Day. It guides and galvanises continuous collective action, with #BalanceforBetter activity reinforced and amplified all year.
As part of ensuring that the City of Johannesburg strives towards gender balance, a Women’s Empowerment Dialogue has been held.
“The Women’s Dialogue was prompted by the serious gender disparity on the City’s top three occupational level. These discrepancies have existed for the previous three years, where men are sitting at 63% and women 37% respectively,” says Member of the Mayoral Committee for Group Corporate and Shared Services Cllr Ntombi Khumalo.
She says discussions during the dialogue were frank and highlighted some of the challenges women face in the workplace, including:
• Inflexible working hours i.e. time off when coming from maternity leave
• Lack of counselling of women after maternity
• Lack of child care services for Council employees
• Women working eight times more to prove themselves
• No formal mentoring and coaching
• No developmental programmes for women in the workplace
• Women abuse, harassment or even rape
• Uniforms designed for men worn by females in JMPD
• Males and females using the same change rooms at EMS
MMC Khumalo acknowledges that the gender scales are still skewed in favour of men, but serious attempts are being made by the City’s leadership to address the anomaly. This include the recent promotion of about 23 JMPD officers to sergeants and last week’s appointment of Chief Superintendent Angie Mokasi as the new Director Operations.
These new appointments and promotions serve as a big statement in moving women forward and putting them in leadership roles. Although the idea of public safety has been known to be male dominated, the JMPD is showing inclusivity and broadening the perception behind public safety by recruiting a number of women as metro police officer.
MMC Khumalo says the City is also attempting to increase women representation by affirming, developing and celebrating women’s accomplishments.
The City of Johannesburg has a 50-50 split in its Mayoral Committee, with five women MMCs out of a total of 10. They include MMC Khumalo, Cllr Leah Knott, MMC for Economic Development, Cllr Nonhlanhla Makhuba, MMC for Transport, Cllr Mpho Phalatse, MMC for Health and Social Development and Cllr Nonhlanhla Sifumba, MMC for Community Development.
Gloria Steinem, world-renowned feminist, journalist and activist once explained: “The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organisation but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”
