South Africa needs gender equality, including more women role models and more benefits for working parents, says Gale Shabangu, the inclusion and diversity lead for business consulting firm Accenture in South Africa.
By making different choices as undergraduates, and with the support of business, the government and tertiary education institutions, the women of the class of 2020 may be the first to see the gender pay gap close in their lifetimes.
Shabangu has the following advice:
• Research shows that increasing women's digital fluency - that is, choosing the right technology to achieve desired results - can help close the gap;
• When this is combined with career strategy and tech immersion, "the potential impact is profound", she says;
• If governments and businesses doubled the pace at which women become digitally fluent, workplaces could achieve gender equality by 2040 in developed countries and 2060 in developing countries; and
• According to Accenture's digital fluency model, countries that have higher rates of digital fluency among women also have greater gender equality.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.