Woman’s month is celebrated in South Africa every August as a tribute to the many women in the country who fought for the struggle for freedom dating back to the early 1900s. More specifically, woman’s day which we celebrate today is a remembrance of the the 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on 9th August 1956 to protest against the extension of Pass Laws to women.
Countries worldwide celebrate women’s day on different days of the year – with International Women’s day held on 8th March – but all have joined forces to achieve gender equality by 2030.
Although things have changed in the workplace for women over the years, there are still areas that need improving. Occupational safety which historically was a male-dominated profession – especially in fields such as construction, mining, fire services, transportation – has now welcomed women into its fold, but not without challenges. Outmoded assumptions however still prevail, when one thinks of a safety professional on a construction site with a hard hat, the first image that comes to mind is that of a man.
The mining industry had a unique problem in getting women accepted arising from the folklore that women were bad luck in mines. Laws in the USA even prohibited women from working in mines. Lucky that changed.
Companies must recognise that women and men are now equally qualified for these positions, with women often making better safety professionals. Having to work harder to get the same recognition as men, they may in some cases even be better qualified.
Women mentors may still be a problem with young male safety professionals entering the market opposing a female mentor. Those expecting to learn from and be managed by a man may initially resist the situation until they learn to trust the female. Mentorship is important, and women are often more empathic and patient than men.
Women may have to be more persuasive than their male counter-part to be heard and taken seriously and for employers to realise that they do know what they’re talking about. The male safety professional may get instant buy-in from peers and managers when they make a proposal, whereas a female may have to work harder with more persuasive skills to get the same support.
Many companies still assume that it is a waste employing young women, or investing in their training because they will only work there for a while until they leave to have children. But things have changed, most families need two incomes and even if they take a few months maternity leave, they will be back, and often with more loyalty than their male counterpart.
Sexist remarks are unfortunately still made and women need to know how to tackle these so that they can rather focus on the positive impact that they can make on the company and lives of co-workers, instead of having to deal with a demeaning situation.
The issue of PPE has been addressed extensively over the past years with many manufacturers now making clothes and shoes specially for women, and continually working on new designs and innovations.
These issues only cover the surface of challenges for women in OSH, but we hope that by 2030, these will all be ironed out.
We wish all women a happy woman’s day.