Is there still gender in diversity?

I recently did a presentation to an established and successful enterprise. In the boardroom were six white men aged between 35 and 45 waiting to receive me. All but one was on executive level. One white woman was present. Like a scene out of Mad Men, she sat quietly in one corner with her back facing everyone else taking minutes. We were not introduced.

In my ten years of business ownership, I find gender roles are still deeply entrenched in South Africa. It extends beyond family hierarchies and our many patriarchal cultures. In business, there remains a common tendency to trust a man’s word and authority far more than a female colleague regardless of rank, experience or knowledge. If a man says it will be done, it is generally accepted. If a woman commits to the same task, she is second-guessed, interrogated and requires the reinforcement of a male colleague.

Being a male business-owner with a number of high calibre women in my senior ranks, we encounter gender discrimination regularly. To empower a woman she must have the opportunity to command at the coalface, but to ignite, the coalface too often seeks male presence. It is something of a passive sexism, because it’s not openly discussed. Yet, I have repeatedly witnessed that it is not what is being said, but who says it that carries weight. Men are not exclusively responsible for this discrimination; we have found that women are dubious towards other women.

I have encountered many dynamic women in positions of power. They are ambitious and decisive. Their thinking is refreshing and enlightened. They can also be labeled as ruthless, dictatorial or egotistical. Sometimes it’s true, sometimes it’s the product of the old boys club insecurity and sometimes it’s a combination. But the bias never seems to wilt.

Whether there is or isn’t equal gender representation in management, executive control or ownership in South Africa, I am always left to wonder what the internal power play really is. Even regionally, I have found the old boys club dominating business landscapes. It’s great for like-mindedness, but too much like-mindedness suffocates innovation. In decision-making, I have always seen the value in diversity. If a leadership is constructed on common vision, diversity presents many more ways of thinking, catapults synergy and sharpens originality. Among many others, diversity at very least comprises gender.

Gareth McKinnell is a graphic designer and co-owner of Blackmoon Design and Advertising (www.blackmoon.co.za). He writes in his personal capacity. Feedback may be sent to gareth@blackmoon.co.za. The views expressed here are not necessarily those of Blackmoon Design and Advertising.