Manglin Pillay’s ‘derogative and patronising’ comments keep him his job
The CEO of the SA Institution of Civil Engineering said women earn less due to their ‘appetite for workload’, age and life choices; he has been scolded but not removed
The board of the South African Institution of Civil Engineering (Saice) has accepted an apology from its CEO over his recently published sexist comments. In a statement issued on Wednesday, after an emergency board meeting, the industry body said Manglin Pillay would remain CEO despite the criticism leveled against his problematic views, as it could not "ignore his invaluable contribution to Saice and to the broader engineering sector over the past eight years". In the opinion piece carried in the July edition of the Civil Engineering magazine, Pillay dismissed the challenges faced by women in the engineering industry and other workplaces, such as unequal pay. Although SA is one of the most unequal countries in the world in terms of income and wealth, with women bearing the brunt due to structural discriminatory patterns, Pillay sought to blame women for their misfortunes in the article.
He said the reason women earn less than their male counterparts was due to "more sophistic...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.