Enabling equity for all employees
- Samantha Herbst
Although SA still faces severe headwinds regarding workplace equity, there seems to be a broader societal shift. Here’s what Wits is doing.
The progressive 1954 Women’s Charter understood workplace equity as more than just a policy statement; it defined it as a commitment to fairness, inclusivity, and support for people across gender, race, ability, and identity.
Now, some 70 years after it was first drafted, how far have we come in meeting its basic demands
Equality vs equity
Senior Lecturer at Wits’ Margo Steele School of Accountancy, Jane Ndlovu, whose current research focuses on the role of tax policy in securing gender equity, believes it’s necessary to acknowledge the differences between equity and equality.
“Equality assumes uniform treatment, where everyone receives the same opportunities. But this overlooks the unique needs and challenges that individuals face,” she says.
Ndlovu defines an equitable workplace as one that recognises differences, distributes resources proportionately, and seeks to support individuals in the ways that they need. However, to foster an environment in which everyone can thrive, she stresses the need simultaneously to pursue justice.
This means directly addressing the causes of inequity and working to dismantle systemic barriers that have historically disadvantaged certain groups of people.
Supporting families – and the economy
As part of her research, Ndlovu has been exploring the powerful role of tax policies and incentives, and how they can help engender a more equitable environment.
“Tax incentives that encourage companies to implement family-friendly policies –?like childcare support, flexible work arrangements, and remote work options – could potentially reduce the financial barriers currently facing women in the workplace,” she says.
This would also address the disproportionate impact of caregiving responsibilities that fall largely on women, especially those of colour. Without support from family, government and employers, these women typically take a step back from their studies or careers, reduce their working hours, or even resign from employment to stay at home to care for their children.
Accounting for invisible labour
Under the direction of the late Dr Prishani Naidoo, the work of Wits’ Society, Work and Politics Institute (SWOP) looks at the issue of equity beyond the traditional framework of the workplace. Rather, it takes into consideration forms of unpaid, invisible labour – such as childcare and household management – which typically falls on women, especially those from disadvantaged communities.
These women often forgo employment to have children and take care of them, Naidoo points out.
“These kinds of labour are crucial for the continuation of any kind of work that is given value in the form of a wage. And yet the calculation of a wage neglects the invisible, unpaid work of women,” she says.
Naidoo adds that universities hold a central place in society, which is why Wits is perfectly positioned to start reproducing new ways of thinking about these issues.
Breastfeeding: A peek into inclusivity
Applied researcher Dr Sara Jewett, who coordinates the Social and Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) field of study in Wits’ School of Public Health, co-led a qualitative study over five years to explore how Wits staff and students experienced breastfeeding. Using their insights and learnings from study participants, Jewett and her team engaged with senior management and organised labour, identifying solutions within the University.
The all-women research team framed institutional breastfeeding support as a feature of an inclusive and transformed environment. The team advocates using the study to promote realistic and cost-effective ways to initiate small changes in the short term, and greater transformation in the long term.
Recognising blue-collar workers
Like Ndlovu, Jewett believes that equity is about acknowledging employees in their diversity and embracing policies and practices that enable everyone to flourish.
“There should be different growth paths for different people in an institution. What an academic might need is different from what a member of cleaning staff might need, for instance,” she says.
Naidoo agrees, noting that where representation is concerned, disadvantaged blue-collar workers are often overlooked, even though they are an essential part of Wits’ ecosystem, and so they were included in the study.
“It was very easy to send out an email to staff and registered students encouraging them to join the study, but we had to make a conscious effort to access people who weren’t on email. Blue-collar workers have become an invisible part of our workplace environment,” says Jewett.
Sensitivity and flexibility
In the interest of flexibility in the workplace and how it relates to equity, Jewett’s study acknowledged that the needs of a breastfeeding employee have a time limit. During that period, if the employer does not acknowledge her specific needs, it could be detrimental to her productivity, performance, and general wellbeing.
“An equitable workplace recognises the very specific needs of individuals at a particular time, be it a breastfeeding mother, someone living with a disability, or someone on the gender spectrum who identifies in a certain way,” says Jewett.
Jewett highlights Wits’ Disability Rights Unit and the Transformation Office as positive examples of ways in which equity rights are being upheld practically at Wits. She adds that the University initiated and funded her co-led study.
“This research project was a direct response from Wits to students and staff who are breastfeeding and not getting the support that they need. We found that most women and managers were unclear about their rights and responsibilities, to which the University responded immediately,” says Jewett.
“And while we’re not yet there with a clear policy for staff or students, it’s on the agenda. This is a tribute to Wits’ commitment to seek avenues of redress.
Tax policies for the economic empowerment of women
Jane Ndlovu is part of the Female Academic Leadership Fellowship (FALF), a Wits-led initiative that focuses on bridging the gap for African and mixed ancestry women in senior academic roles.
As a 2023 FALF fellow, she was inspired to continue her research on South African tax policies, the impact of the current system on women and how it intersects with gender issues.
Her findings show, among other realities, that our Income Tax Act is blind to socioeconomic gender disparities, even though it was designed to be neutral and progressive.
Ndlovu defines the gender pay gap as the percentage difference in average hourly earnings between men and women, which is distinct from equal pay. According to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report, women earn between 23% and 35% less than men do for the same job.
“And Stats SA shows that women, on average, earn about 30% less than men. This disparity is not just a matter of unequal pay for the same role. It highlights a systemic issue and reflects broader structural barriers, where women are overrepresented in lower-paying positions and underrepresented in senior roles.
The reality is, because of income disparities reflected through gendered barriers in the workforce, women’s earning potential is affected and, in turn, so are their tax contributions.”
Ndlovu aims to challenge this narrative and wants to explore how South Africa’s tax system could better support gender equity with policies that acknowledge structural inequities facing women and give them greater economic empowerment.
- Samantha Herbst is a freelance writer.
- This article first appeared in?Curiosity,?a research magazine produced by?Wits Communications?and the?Research Office.
- Read more in the 18th issue, themed #Work, which delves into the evolving nature of work, shaped by societal shifts, technological advances, and equity challenges