A Woman's Work Is Never Done

Subtle pressures add complexity to being a woman in management

- Dr Renate Scherrer and Dr Karina de Bruin

Throughout history, there have been women who stood out above the rest. They excelled against all odds in a society or sector which did not acknowledge their contribution, whether in politics or business. These are arguably tough sectors for any leader to make a difference in, and have an impact on, but even more so for these women who often had to navigate the muddy waters of prejudice, stereotyping and even jealousy.

When one considers the Forbes list of the 100 most powerful women, Germany’s Angela Merkel has been the number one for almost a decade – being ousted by Michelle Obama once in 2010. Other names frequenting this list are Melinda Gates, Sheryl Sandberg and Christine Lagarde – all strong women with unique characteristics. Closer to home, some of the names we have come to associate with power and influence would typically be Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, Pam Golding, Thuli Madonsela, Wendy Luhabe and Gill Marcus.

In broad strokes, the similarities we perceive them to share are certainly some of the following: courageous, focused, driven, self confident, assertive and resilient. Overall, they do not conform to what society dictates, they are passionate about their beliefs, they are willing to take risks, and they often spearhead social change by speaking up about domestic violence, injustice, discrimination of any kind and the oppression of minority groups.

Multiple responsibilities