South Africa still has a long way to go for gender justice in business and in life, but with more men openly stepping forward to be a part of the discourse, FORBES WOMAN AFRICA speaks to two male entrepreneurs, a CEO and a social activist. They acknowledge diversity makes smart social and economic sense that will benefit all.
MEN STILL, AND HAVE, HISTORICALLY, wielded significant power. This is an issue that has primarily affected women. In order to bring about change, men need to be a part of the solution and men haven’t made it a priority.”
These are the words of Samuel Mensah, Founder of African fashion brand, Kisua. He is one of a growing number of men in South Africa fighting to make gender equality a priority in business.
Anicy wind blows through Johannesburg on this July morning but there is warmth and fellowship as Mensah is joined by Gil Oved, Group Co-CEO of The Creative Counsel; Dion Shango, CEO and Regional Senior Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC); and Dean Peacock, Co-Founder of civil society group Sonke Gender Justice.
These four men passionately and openly acknowledge the cause they believe in – gender parity in business, leadership and life. What’s more, they think more men need to be roped in to fight for the cause.
“There are feminists who believe this is a women’s issue and women will deal with it. There’s another school of thought, which I come from, which says you cannot have a conversation about gender inequality and not bring in men. Men are major perpetrators of gender inequality. Boys learn to be men from other men. So this becomes an intergenerational problem if you don’t get men on your side, get men to acknowledge there is a problem, they are part of the problem, and make them part of the solution. Until this is done, women will be fighting a brave battle but it’s going to be an uphill battle,” says Mensah.
This story is from the August-September 2017 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
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This story is from the August-September 2017 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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