Sizwe Ntsaluba Gobodo Grant Thornton (SNG Grant Thornton) published its 2024 Women in Business Report which highlights gender diversity in senior management among the world’s mid-market businesses, exposing barriers and identifying action for change. This comprehensive report focuses on monitoring and measuring the proportion of women occupying senior management roles in companies around the world.
A thought leader committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, SNG Grant Thornton has cast a light on issues surrounding gender diversity in senior management among the world’s mid-market businesses. The firm’s "Pathways to Parity: 20 Years of Women in Business Insights" marks two decades of dedicated research aimed at monitoring and measuring the representation of women in senior management roles globally.
In South Africa, the latest research indicates that the progress achieved for women in senior management roles has been positive as shown by a nine percent increase in the number of female CEOs (30% to 39%). This indicates a continuous positive trend on women occupying senior positions in their organisations, compared to global businesses who are lagging by 20 percent behind South Africa.
SNG Grant Thornton’s Chief Information Officer, Dr. Sylvia Sathekge notes that the firm has always been committed to diversity, equity and inclusion, particularly when it comes to women occupying senior positions within the firm.
She said “we will continue on this path of accelerating gender parity hoping that all other businesses will follow suit”.
In order to accelerate progress towards gender parity, the report identifies three proposals for businesses, namely, assigning responsibility for diversity, equity, and inclusion to both a C-suite member and a female senior leader; implement a standalone parity strategy with measurable goals; and offering flexible working arrangements.
The 2024 report is available to read at https://www.grantthornton.co.za/insights2/women-in-business-2024/