FEMALE DOMINATED PROFESSIONS IN SOUTH AFRICA

Economists refer to certain positions as “pink-collared jobs”, meaning that the role is normally filled by a woman. Jobs in nursing, counselling and social work seem to be predominantly occupied by women, as do secretarial and administrative posts.

Here’s a list of positions where women greatly outnumber men, in South Africa: • Nurses • Teachers • Social Workers • Event Planners • Insurance • Tax Specialists • Human Resources • Financial Specialists • Admin • Public Relations

This said, there is a lean for many women to fill the role that society has traditionally ascribed to a female. There is a preconceived notion that women are better carers and listeners, possibly

stemming from our role as primary caregiver or nurturer, so going into nursing or social work seems appropriate. Unsurprisingly, over the past three decades, we have seen women entering roles that were typically dominated by men; and they are pushing the stereotypes out the window on their way to the top.

When we think of the legal industry, we know this to be a boys’ club, through and through. Consider though, Thuli Madonsela. She is an advocate and a professor of law, holding a chair at Stellenbosch University. Back in 1996, she helped to draft the final constitution of South Africa, she was also appointed as the Public Protector for a seven-year period. At the end of her tenure as public protector, she submitted the report on State Capture, implicating former president Jacob Zuma as well as many other influential and wealthy figures. She really exemplified all that is dignified and right about the rule of law and was not swayed from her path.

Gill Marcus, is another lady that soared to the top. She was the first female appointed as governor of the South African Reserve bank. Gill was elected as a member of parliament in 1994 and chair of the joint finance committee. She became deputy minister of Finance just two years later, in 1996. Thereafter she was appointed as deputy governor of the Reserve Bank in 1999. Finally, in 2009, she became governor.

Another lady that excelled in the financial sector is Nicky Newton-King. Nicky became the first woman to run the JSE in its’ 124-year history. Prior to her joining the JSE, she was a partner as a large law firm. Her purpose for joining the JSE in 1996 was to sort out an insider trading scandal, with the JSE at this point an almost-bankrupt exchange. It was still very much a ‘boys’ club’ then, but Nicky would ring in the changes very soon.

Subsequently, she has been behind the writing of legislation, specifically the Insider Trading Act, one of the only statutes in the world that compensates those negatively affected by insider trading. She has three law degrees, a fellowship at Yale and attended Harvard for a development programme.

Nonkuleleko Nyembezi-Heita was ascribed the honour of being Forbes’s 97th most powerful woman in the world (2011). Since 2008, she has been CEO of a subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, the world’s biggest steelmaker, owned by the Mittal family of India. No small feat given her humble beginnings.

Nonkuleleko was raised in Clermont, a township near Durban, KZN. An excellent scholar, she was awarded a coveted scholarship from Anglo American. This scholarship enabled her to travel to the UK to gain a BSc in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester’s Institute of Science and Technology. She obtained her master’s degree at the California Institute of Technology, where she was valedictorian.

Her career began in 1984 with IBM in the United States and then in South Africa. IBM groomed her for leadership. Nonkuleleko headed its Windhoek division till 1998. She then became CEO of Alliance Capital Management, and later she joined Vodacom as head of its mergers and acquisition division. All the fields that Nonkuleleko chose to work in were male dominated, yet she shone and rose steadily and continues to shine.

Finally, Bridgette Radebe. She is Africa’s richest black woman; her money is made from mining. Radebe wanted to study law at Wits, but was barred because of her race. Radebe had to run the gauntlet of legislation at the time to start her firm Mmakau, which is named after the village in which she grew up. Mmakau is a contracted company managing shaft mining operations and procurement for major firms.

Mmakau is a successful but underthe-radar business with quality assets in platinum, gold, uranium, coal, chrome, exploration and mining services. Bridgette Radebe has more knowledge about deep-level mining than any woman, and almost certainly most men, in the mining industry today.

Women are finally and justifiably embracing the old adage that we tell our children: “You can grow up to be whatever you want to be.” South Africa may have been a little behind in this aspect compared to the global trend, but we have finally acknowledged: to empower a woman, is to empower a nation. Women are the carers and nurturers, but there is no reason why we can’t dominate in industry and still be the carer.

This article has shone the spotlight on only a few outstanding women who have succeeded in the arena that is normally reserved for men. There are many, many more women in positions of great responsibility, not only in South Africa, but globally who are pushing back against the stereotypes and preconceptions of generations, standing up to prejudice and inequality, to take their place on centre stage.

Putting politics aside, the achievements of these women are noteworthy. Indubitably, there will be some that will cast aspersions, but their achievements and successes have held fast and like them or hate them, they are here to stay; until the next generation takes on the mantle. �