GENDER DISPARITY IN WORKPLACE

Sir,

According to affirmative action, women now stand a better chance or advantageous position when it comes to employment opportunities because, the labour market is now trying to balance the previous gender disparity.According to The World Economic Forum, the 2022 edition of the Global Gender Gap Report raised concerns over the state of gender parity in the labour market.  Not only was women’s participation slipping globally, but other markers of economic opportunity were showing substantive disparities between women and men.

Labour-force

Since the last edition, while women have (re-) entered the labour force at higher rates than men globally, leading to a small recovery in gender parity in the labour-force participation rate, gaps remain wide, overall and in several specific dimensions.Between 2019 and 2020, the global women’s labour-force participation rate declined by 3.4 per cent, as compared to 2.4 per cent for men.  Women have been (re-)entering the workforce at a slightly higher rate than men since then, resulting in a modest recovery in gender parity.
Between the 2022 and 2023 editions, parity in the labour force participation increased from 63 per cent to 64 per cent.

Stereotypes

Following the recent court ruling on the Municipal Council of Mbabane CEO, some commentators were leaning more towards gender stereotypes than merit. Yet the issue of bringing the gender question or stereotypes on the issue of the employment of Mbabane CEO Gciniwe Fakudze is misplaced or misguided because even her competitor whom the council or consultant had recommended is also a woman, the world is currently looking for qualified leaders based on merit than patriarchy and gender parity. We must look beyond one’s gender and consider one’s qualifications, work ethic, integrity, principles and values, so Umntolo must also never be intimidated by patriarchy, instead, focus on her day job and deliver on the mandate of the Mbabane rate payers and other stakeholders without considering that she is female in a male dominated industry.

Discriminatory

I guess even the council isn’t intimidated or discriminatory towards her based on her gender, but based on other matters and issues which we might not be privy to as the public. The issue of empowering the girl child at the expense of the boy child is going to have futuristic effects, if we don’t balance it now; in fact it is going to promote GBV and Patriarchy, if we don’t address it now and give all sexes equal and fair opportunities.

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