TIEKIE BARNARD: Firms must better understand how gender-based violence can occur at work

Unless progress on gender equality is rapidly accelerated, the global community will not only fail to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 5, but will also forgo the catalytic effect that gender equality can have on achieving all 17 SDGs. Without this happening, the promise of the 2030 Agenda — of a better world where there is universal respect for human rights, dignity and full realisation of human potential, and where no-one is left behind — will go unrealised.

The negative fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic on women in the workplace will not be reversed for a long time, and to truly deliver health, wellbeing, and dignity for all, gender equality in the workplace must be a core focus for all organisations.

The economics make sense. According to a 2018 estimation by the UN as much as $28-trillion, or 26%, could be added to global annual GDP over a 10-year period if women played an identical role in labour markets to that of men. In a more recent analysis, US investment bank Citigroup found that achieving gender parity in business growth could boost global GDP by as much as $2-trillion, or 2%-3% of global GDP. Gender equality could also generate between 288-million and 433-million jobs, Citi found.

Organisational will and a restructuring of the employment relationship with women is not only necessary but also good for business. To drive accountability and influence gender-based violence (GBV)-related system change and policy-making in the private sector, Shared Value Africa Initiative and the University of Johannesburg embarked on a research project in collaboration with Mid Sweden University and supported by KPMG SA.

I welcome the findings and recommendations in the report released recently, The Costly Impact of GBV. It highlights the need for the private sector to address the reality of GBV as it formulates company policy and structures of governance. This means implementing top-of-mind GBV-related education and awareness programmes, adopting behavioural change, and providing ongoing feedback on progress through annual integrated and environmental, social & governance (ESG) reporting.

For decades governments and civil society have tried, mainly outside the private sector, to address gender equality. Most recently, here in SA women from all walks of life came together in August 2018 for the Total Shutdown Movement to catalyse momentum to face this overlooked, yet growing pandemic. The presidential summit on GBV and femicide, held in early November 2018, committed the state to action. The government pledged to establish a national, multi-stakeholder council on GBVF and develop a national strategic plan on GBVF for a better co-ordinated and more effective response. The plan was launched on April 30 2020, and the GBVF Response Fund was established in February 2021 as part of the overall implementation of the strategic plan.

While great strides have been made in recent years, the SA private sector has not yet fully embraced the role it needs to play in the achievement of gender equality. It still takes longer for women to get promoted, women remain underrepresented at all levels and continue to earn less than their male counterparts. They also struggle with lack of support from their male colleagues, a toxic patriarchal culture and are often subject to discriminatory norms and exclusionary policies that make climbing the corporate ladder even more challenging.

Gender inequality has also been widely recognised as a key driver of GBV. It is increasingly a term that connects all acts of violence rooted in some form of “patriarchal ideology” and can thus be committed against both women and men, by women and men, with the purpose of maintaining social power. It can take many forms, affecting people at a physical, sexual, psychological and economic level, and can include bullying, mobbing, verbal abuse and harassment from work colleagues, supervisors or managers.

Additional examples include sexual harassment and unwanted sexual advances; threats and acts of sexual abuse and violence, including  “coercive” or transactional sex, rape and sexual assault; abuse and harassment around pregnancy; psychological abuse and intimidation; abusive working conditions such as poor health and safety; inadequate or inappropriate sanitary facilities and rules about their use; involuntary excessive long working hours; and unpredictable or late demands to work overtime.

GBV is a systemic social issue that is deeply entrenched in our institutions, our cultures and our traditions, with a tragic effect on all, regardless of age, race, gender or sexual preference. The perception that GBV is a social issue only, is no longer acceptable or true, as GBV has an enormous business and economic effect.

Corporate SA in particular has a vested interest because this plight not only presents workplace challenges such as reduced productivity and absenteeism, but also affects the communities the companies operate in.

A 2014 report released by professional services firm KPMG, Too Costly to Ignore — The Economic Impact of Gender-Based Violence in SA, estimated that the economic impact of gender-based violence for the period 2012 to 2013 was between R28.4bn and R42.4bn, representing 0.9%-1.3% of annual GDP.

It is therefore crucial that companies better understand the range of circumstances in which GBV can occur in the workplace and the ways in which company operations can reduce GBV-related risks.

Inasmuch as the government needs to set an enabling environment to drive gender equality through appropriate policy frameworks, legislation and an efficient justice system, the private sector is a powerful partner in advancing gender equality at work due to its distinctive position as a catalyst and role model for change.

These changes need to demonstrate equality in every aspect of life at work, with companies using every available platform to advocate for meaningful change. This includes everything from its training and remuneration policies, sourcing principles and supply chains, to messaging and tone in employee communication and ensuring business practices such as marketing, communications, sales and other units do not contribute to gender stereotyping that may influence societal values, norms and attitudes that condone violence against women.

Progressive executives know that gender equality is not only the right thing to do but also the smart thing. But progress is slow, and the need for multisectoral collaboration has always been clear — as suggested in many global and locally released reports. There is immense power in working together. We have the knowledge and the resources to succeed. We need to build on the progress we have made thus far and relentlessly mobilise our commitments into tangible action.

Change is long overdue. I urge SA companies to explore the deep learning and unlearning needed to acknowledge and respond to the persistent power imbalances that still plague the private sector. It will be a first step in living up to the values of equity and inclusion — not just on paper, but in practice.

As Mervyn King stated in the foreword of the report: “We must not fail our women and girls. We must not fail our society.”

• Barnard is CEO and founder of the Shared Value Africa Initiative.