Business warns of red tape burden of gender bill

Women are increasingly better represented in the higher ranks of the armed forces and other state bodies but there are claims that big business is not playing its part in its own sphere. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The Department for Women‚ Children and People with Disabilities last week tabled the heavily redrafted Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill. The bill calls for half of the people that make up "decision-making structures" in both the public and private sectors to be women.

South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) CEO Neren Rau said on Sunday whether an additional bill on gender parity was required was "questionable". This was because larger businesses were already taking gender equality "very seriously".

Commission for Gender Equality deputy chairwoman Thoko Mpumlwana has previously expressed views that big business is making progress in promoting gender equality. She said in August that businesses had forced the government's hand as it had not taken gender transformation seriously.

South Africa already has gender equality legislation including the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment and Employment Equity Acts‚ all of which seeks to have more women represented on executive structures.

"Should we not rather be addressing existing laws and implementing those?" Rau asked.

Tougher than other Acts

The bill is expected to be tougher than other Acts such as the Employment Equity Act. Once law‚ the Women Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill would allow the government to fine‚ or even imprison‚ executives who contravene requirements. The government hopes to implement the Act by 2015.

Rau said skills and their affordability were some of the possible explanations for why the other gender equity legislation had not been as successful as envisaged. "The availability of appropriately skilled women to take on those senior positions is a challenge.

"Those (few women) who have the skills and the training are very highly priced."

However, a World Economic Forum (WEF) report shows that male employees cost more. The 2013 WEF gender gap report found that South African women earned up to 33% less than their male counterparts for the same work.

The international pay gap average is 13%.

Gender Links representative Sikhonzile Ndlovu said recently that gender policies helped address issues such as pay gaps.