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Johannesburg - Public hearings on the state of gender transformation in the private and public sectors of the Free State were held in Bloemfontein this week, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) said on Friday.
The departments of education and human settlements, the Mangaung Metro Municipality, and the Airports Company of SA were among the entities summoned to take part, spokesperson Javu Baloyi said in a statement.
During the hearings, held on Wednesday and Thursday, the CGE found there was a lack of commitment towards transformation and achieving gender equality.
The commission found there was a need to develop a sexual harassment policy at departmental level. It also found that disabled workers were not adequately represented.
"A recurring challenge faced by all entities was their inability to increase the representation of women at senior and top management level," Baloyi said.
"A grave concern of the CGE is the preliminary finding of a possible link between the absence of a sexual harassment policy in the workplace and the level of sexual harassment cases that are being reported..."
The CGE believed that Free State Premier Ace Magashule's state of the province address was encouraging, as it indicated political will toward achieving gender transformation in the workplace.
The commission would provide expert support and guidance to help the organisations achieve gender equality.
