Women vow to champion own growth

Sunday Mail Reporter

WOMEN from diverse professions have vowed to play a leading role in championing their advancement and continue pushing for recognition in social, political and economic spheres that are male dominated.

Speakers at the recent Professional Women, Women Executives and Business Women’s Forum (PROWEB) 2019 Tea Party, concurred that they will not rest until they attain a 50 percent representation in decision making positions.

Drawing over 180 women from diverse industrial backgrounds, the forum also discussed strategies to promote gender equality in the business sector.

PROWEB president Dr Grace Muradzikwa laid out the organisation’s plans to advocate a 50 percent women representation in both Government and in private sector company boards of directors.

“This will ensure women’s equal participation in issues of economic empowerment,” she said.

“As of 2018, the total number of women directors sitting on boards of listed companies was 72 out of 403. Only six companies had women CEOs and only another six have women board chairs.”

Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway chief executive officer Ms Tembiwe Moyo said society was entrenched with a patriarchal system, but urged women to be encouraged by the fact that they were breaking barriers in certain fields. “Male dominance will be here for a while. Let us not mislead ourselves into thinking that it will be an overnight change,” she said.

“It is a process we must accept. However, let us not be discouraged, but rather be encouraged by the inroads we have made and are making in penetrating some of the never thought of fields.”

Ms Moyo advised women that while it was good to advocate equality, they needed to work hard to aide their case.

In her contribution at the forum, outgoing British American Tobacco (BAT) managing director Clara Mlambo highlighted the importance of establishing a network for women. She said mentorship and other forms of networking would take women far.

“Perform, perform, perform — not only at your current level but always perform one level above your current — so that when there is a vacancy at the next level promoting you is a no brainer.

“Network, network, network — hard work will get you up to a point but beyond that it is important to invest time in both internal and external networking,” she said.

PROWEB is a women empowerment forum established in 2005.