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Johannesburg - Less women are advancing in South Africa's business sector than two years ago, according to a recent survey.
The MasterCard Worldwide Index of Women's Advancement, an annual survey, found that about 86 women were advancing in their careers for every 100 men forging ahead.
Criteria used to define advancement include whether the sample group actively participates in the labour force and whether it has management positions.
Two other criteria are whether the sample group is enrolled in a tertiary education institution, and the all-important benchmark of whether income is above a median level.
"We [South Africans] have inequality at women's expense," said independent economist Erika van der Merwe.
She said that since 2008, women have become more pessimistic about their income levels. In addition, fewer say they hold managerial positions, and relative to men, fewer women are active in the labour market.
She cited a policy brief from a US university report compiled by Rebecca Blank and Heidi Shierholz, which read: "A woman's family structure generally affects her labour force participation differently than a man's, with marriage and children typically decreasing the probability that a woman works and the wages that she earns".
Van der Merwe said that relative to men, lower female participation rates can be explained by the fact that working-age women are bearing and raising children. They are, therefore, not always free to participate in the labour market.
Mastercard's survey shows that in 2007 - its inaugural year - there were 96 women advancing for every 100 men progressing up the career ladder. A score below 100 indicated gender inequality.
In another Mastercard-sponsored survey, results show that more women allocate their income to food, clothing and shelter than men. This means women shoulder a greater financial burden, which may explain their pessimism regarding income levels.
However, there were some bright spots. "As far as tertiary education enrolment is concerned, women are outshining the men," said Van der Merwe. For every 100 men, 130 women are enrolled in tertiary education.
Also, more than 52% of the women surveyed in South Africa - about 600 banked individuals between the ages of 18 and 64, split equally between Durban, Cape Town and Johannesburg - viewed themselves as making most of the major financial decisions for the household.
Looking to the rest of Africa and the Middle East, Egypt showed the greatest rise in its index score from 62.3 in 2008 to 72.2 in 2009. In Asian and Pacific markets, Australia saw the greatest increase in its index score, moving from 79.1 to 96.1.
- Fin24.com
