Less than 10pc of top executives are women

By Bridget Mananavire

Fewer than one in 10 leaders at Zimbabwe’s top companies are female, Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) research shows.

ZGC chairperson Margaret Mukahanana- Sangarwe deplored the lack of progress in promoting women to executive roles.

This comes as a study entitled Measuring Differences on Board of Directors in Zimbabwe 2015 highlighted that out of 406 directors in the private sector, 10 percent were women, out of 64 chief executive officers of companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange, only three were female (4,68 percent) and out of the 103 chief executive officers of State-owned entities, there were only 15 female CEOs.

Out of 88 chairpersons of parastatal boards, women chairpersons only constitute 27 percent. In the public sector, the same trend appears, with only eight female permanent secretaries out of 26. And out of 26 Cabinet ministers, only three were women.

Mukahanana-Sangarwe told a joint ZGC and Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce breakfast meeting in the capital yesterday: “We are aware that the workplace always bump into glass ceiling due to the subtle invisible sexists and patriarchal ideologies that prevent them from getting higher posts in organisations.

“There is not only a glass ceiling, but there are also sticky floors that comprises implicit patriarchal mechanisms that prevent women from assuming respectable and influential positions.”

She said the ZGC was in the process of creating a comprehensive database of women in different sectors showing their qualifications skills and experience.

“This will help in easily identifying qualified women when decision-making positions arise,” she said

The Constitution stipulates that efforts should be made to ensure that women are equally represented in top positions of leadership and governance in the country.

Primary and Secondary Education ministry permanent secretary Sylvia Utete-Masango said it was about time women move from the blame game to taking action.

Associated Newspapers of Zimbabwe managing director Sharon Samushonga said women were blowing hot and cold in their push to the top.

“We start things, we are so heated up. We want to move forward and then everything dies. I think this is the problem that we have as women. Men start up, they carry on, they move forward and they pass on the baton. And we are not doing that, there should be continuity. I think that is lacking with us ladies,” she said. Daily News