Women in Business in South Africa

Traditionally women from all communities within South Africa have played a very minimal role within the business world.

Female participation at senior management level is extremely low and although some progress towards greater gender equality within the workforce has been made, the progress is slow.

A macho culture could be said to be pervasive in South Africa and women can expect to be treated with less respect than male colleagues. If you are treated with less respect than you would normally expect, it is important to remain unflustered.

Demonstrating high levels of professional skill and aptitude will, in time, pay dividends.

Author

This country-specific business culture profile was written by Keith Warburton who is the founder of the cultural awareness training consultancy Global Business Culture. 

Global Business culture is a leading training provider in the fields of cross-cultural communication and global virtual team working.  We provide training to global corporations in live classroom-based formats, through webinars and also through our cultural awareness digital learning hub, Global Business Compass.

This World Business Culture profile is designed as an introduction to business culture in South Africa only and a more detailed understanding needs a more in-depth exploration which we can provide through our training and consultancy services.