New attitude needed for women in business

Related subjects: Africa, Diplomacy & Politics, Economy, Gender Equality, Global, L'accés: Society of Access, Rights & Freedoms, Sustainable Development Comments (0)

30 October 2009 :: admin

By Sarah Ndzinisa

It’s a busy day as usual in the city-centre, with everyone moving about their daily business. Looking around, it seems that you will mostly find women and girls sitting by the roadside selling fruits and vegetables, while men are operating bigger businesses, like construction.

Male directors are moving up and down their construction sites to make sure work is at its best. Meanwhile, women dust their wares, waiting for passersby to purchase, so that at least they are able to put food on the table by the close of day.

You ask yourself who owns what, and why? Is construction work or big business really only for men? It is an even more important question to ask, with the whole region getting ready to take advantage of the many opportunities created with the upcoming FIFA World Cup landing on African soil in 2010.

A quick trip through town to do a mini-survey on the businesses operating, and you will likely find that most of the time the real moneymaking entrepreneurs are males. Most women are running small enterprises like grocery shops, hair salons and operating as informal hawkers. This is what women can usually afford as most of the time they are denied access to finance because they are women.

The situation was even worse in the country’s recent history because of laws and regulations that were unfriendly to women. These laws did not give equal opportunities to both male and female, especially when it came to access to business finance, land acquisition and personal loans.

The review of the country’s constitution to keep up with changing times was gave more chances to women. However, although the constitution has tried to address the inequalities between men and women, old habits die hard. There is still stigma attached to women in business, which requires a lot of gender awareness campaigns.

People always seem to think that a woman will never do a good job. Of course, women can make mistakes. Yet, how many times have we found unfinished jobs by the roadside, with male-owned contractors responsible? But noon ever says, “that’s what you get for employing a man.”

Have we ever engaged women on these big works, either construction or any other, or does society only judge their capacity by their long held stereotypes of what a “woman’s job” is?

Most women entrepreneurs do register good, positive, growth-promising companies, but because they do not get support either from government or their private sector colleagues, their business do not succeed. In any business, market access is essential for business growth. Even if they get finance, women can be hindered from accessing markets, because of the market’s prejudices against women.

Gender activists and organisations must lobby government to formulate laws that will give equal opportunity to both male and female. Although gender issues are covered in the country’s constitution, it is equally important that we come up with a specific regulation to give guidance on how to achieve gender equality, especially in the business sector.

It is heartbreaking to see a woman-owned business fail to get a government tender, not because it does not qualify, but it is woman owned. In most cases, women are associated with shoddy jobs when in fact, no one has given them any great piece of the job to do, but continue judging by assumption.

Starting and running a business is not gender-biased, every human being can operate any form of business. There is a need for a significant change of attitudes towards women and business. Some people have a tendency of classifying certain businesses for certain people; there is no business that is specifically for a certain group of people.

Moreover, it goes both ways. Who said men could not provide childcare? In this way, they are also deprived of an opportunity. Some may even be the best caregivers, and have a greater love for children than some women do, but because of the stigma attached to this type of work, men shun away from such jobs. Despite how society may consider this occupation for a man, it is a good way to earn a living.

If countries in Southern Africa are to progress, people must realise that each individual must be free to use their unique talents for business and entrepreneurship, and not be deterred by the stereotypes that stifle initiatives. That is the only way that we will all progress as individual, communities, and countries.

Sarah Ndzinisa produced this article as part of a Gender Links’ media literacy training course in Swaziland. This article is part of the GL Opinion and Commentary Service.