USB’s Dr Babita Mathur-Helm, senior lecturer in Organisational Transformation and Development, Managing Diversity, and Gender Empowerment, recently addressed a group of 35 Rotarians from Paarl Rotary Club on “Gender and Equality” to celebrate Women’s Month.

She says the idea was to share with this group “the work lives of women and men and how women experience workplaces differently than men”. She spoke about key elements in women’s leadership development to point out the issues of inequality that women are experiencing.

“Men can choose to partner with women in their journey towards seeking a world of equality and equity because they play a significant role in empowering women.”
– Dr Babita Mathur-Helm

Dr Mathur-Helm addressed the challenges that women face as barriers in not being able to take on some of the tasks required at work. These issues include them being underutilised, lacking self-confidence, and social stereotypes.

“Gender bias still exist in our workplaces and in our societies at large. Women also have to deal with other challenges such as prejudices, sexual harassment, glass ceiling, queen bees, pay disparities, lack of balance in work and their personal lives, and many more,” she says.

She also gave some incentives as to how women can be supported by men at work so that they are able to grow in jobs and careers. “Men can develop more sensitivity and awareness about gender prejudice and bias. They can choose to partner with women in their journey towards seeking a world of equality and equity because men play significant role in empowering women,” she says.