Youth Month Issue: The Cost of Barriers to Young Women Workers

The year is 2023, 47 years since the Soweto Uprising. Youth Month is a time when we as a country pay tribute to the students who lost their lives during the Soweto Uprising and honour the contribution the youth made in the struggle for the liberation of South Africa. Whilst the Soweto Uprising marked a turning point for many in the country and represented a new dawn for young people, South Africa’s youth is still plagued by a myriad of challenges. South Africa has a youth population of 20.6 million, making up 35.7% of the country's total population. Although a youthful population holds promise for development, South Africa’s youth continues to be disadvantaged in the labour market, the worst affected being women. The current unemployment rate for women is 35.3% compared to 32.6% for men. Even those who are active in the labour market are presented with a number of challenges that have the potential to either halt or slow their growth.?

This year's theme for Youth Month is “Accelerating youth economic emancipation for a sustainable future”. In an effort to draw more young people into the economy, the government has initiated youth development initiatives to support young people. These initiatives range from formal education and training; learnerships and internships. Whilst there are efforts to draw more young people into the economy, it is important that we get a sense of what the barriers affecting young people are, especially young women. Throughout the month of June, Womaniko Transforming Spaces has highlighted on their social media pages, 16 barriers holding women back in the workplace. Our focus has been on young women because we understand that women are more economically disadvantaged than men; they face more barriers to progression. As women ourselves, we resonate deeply with these barriers because at some point they have formed part of our own lived realities.??

Youth unemployment programmes have put more young women in precarious positions; and more reports of GBVH are being received. 30% of women have reported being victims of sexual harassment in the workplace, 38% of those advances resulted in unwanted touching.? Oftentimes, young women refrain from speaking up because of the risks associated with doing so. Challenging the status quo can threaten one's position in the workplace and result in negative performance evaluations.?

South Africa is amid a mental health crisis and GBVH and sexual harassment are major contributors to this crisis. One in four South Africans at work has depression and despite this 80% continue to work. A survey revealed that 74% of employees report they are more effective at their job when they feel heard. Employees who do not feel heard are likely to be less productive, experience job dissatisfaction and ultimately burnout. More than 50% of South African women aged between 18 and 25 feel burnout. By creating platforms in the workplace where young women can talk about their experiences, vulnerabilities associated with GBVH and sexual harassment can be addressed and interventions can be designed.?

Failure to address the barriers that young women workers experience risks widening the global gender gap, which is already estimated to take 132 years to close. This would also be in contradiction with the sustainable future the government urges all of us to play a role in creating. It is our view that inclusivity forms a big part of a sustainable future. What this means is that young women workers feel and live with the impacts of these barriers, if solutions are to be worked on, their voices need to be heard and included in conversations that will shape their future. They need to be given a seat at the table not as a matter of privilege but as right. How else can they benefit from a future that they have not played a part in creating? Although we have more women graduates in the country than men, women are grossly underrepresented in the workplace, starting from entry-level jobs to C-suite roles. Women account for 43.4% of total employment but only occupy 33.1% of managerial positions in South Africa. Representation matters to young women workers. A study by McKinsey & Company revealed that women leaders are switching jobs at high rates and young women are prepared to do the same. This is because they place a higher premium on working in an equitable, supportive and inclusive workplace. Therefore, it is important that organisations move past tokenism to inclusion.?

The problems that young women encounter in and out of the workplace are vast and not just limited to the 16 we have highlighted. To forge a sustainable future, the young woman needs to be empowered. Our Fireplace Conversations surfaced the challenges young women face in speaking up and the support they need. This helped to design interventions, workshops, Fireplace Conversations, group coaching and peer mentoring programmes. Our She4She Programme, which seeks to empower young women with a collective voice in search of solutions to their work experiences. We provide work platforms that will encourage young women to speak up about their experiences in the workplace and to address cases of harassment and discrimination in the workplace. According to research conducted by Bain & Company, women who do not aspire to senior leadership positions make that decision once they have been employed for two or three years, not before joining the workplace. Misalignment with career aspirations, a lack of confidence and an inability to balance career and family are some of the reasons why women do not aspire to senior leadership positions. The first few years of a career are foundational, thus it is important that we work alongside the young woman worker to build her self-confidence and awareness so that she is better equipped to navigate the workplace from a place of power.?

The barriers young women workers experience are systemic in nature. In order for young people to contribute to a better and more sustainable future, intervention is needed from individuals, corporations, government? and institutions across the board. By partnering with us, you not only invest in the young women and transform your workplace to one that accommodates young women workers, but you also contribute to the sustainable future the government urges all of us to contribute to.?