An African feminist study of talent management practices applied to improve gender equality in JSE-listed South African mining boards : a multiple case analysis

Abstract

Mining as a historical male-dominated space is confronted by various transformational structural changes. While the racial composition of mining boards has improved, gender representation of women in boards is problematic. Owing to our historical legacy of apartheid and decades of colonialism, South Africa became a victim of an unequal society. The new political dispensation under the leadership of Nelson Mandela sought to redress those inequalities after the fall of apartheid in 1994. However, gender inequalities and the gender subject remain contentious issues, particularly in historically male-dominated sectors such as mining. With legislation enforcement, only a few mining companies have improved the representation of women on boards (WoB), while some companies remain with no women or only one woman on board. However, despite the atrocities of apartheid, South African mining sector is relatively performing better in terms of WoB than countries that were not exposed to such a discriminatory dispensation. Yet still, mining lags far behind compared to other industries in South Africa. This outlook led me to conduct a multiple cross-case analysis research study to explore how women were integrated into mining by reviewing talent management practices used to appoint women (and men) by exploring recruitment, development and retention practices. I adopted an emancipatory critical research approach, a feminist epistemological paradigm, and I considered African feminism a suitable research approach given the unique context of South African mining history. The results showed that the industry still faces gender structural inequalities guided by an indoctrinated mindset of the sector, and that it is still to a great extent racially biased. While most focus of talent management is directed at recruiting more women, men still control recruitment, which is biased and informal, and different or stringent recruitment criteria are applied for women. Even though women occupy a few board seats and exceed the critical mass in some boards, they still face change-resistant attitudes and stereotypes and a double glass ceiling in terms of who has a right of voice, which disregarded their talent. All women regardless of race, were subject to stereotypes, but dealt with them differently. I found that black women are more affected than any other racial group due to their social identities, facing triple oppression due to their gender and race, but also class, which affects their confidence and their talent offering to board responsibilities. In fear of marginalisation, the black women in my study felt that they needed to earn the trust of men, especially those of white men. White, Indian and 1coloured women who were affected by gender stereotypes were silent about those prejudices, but were also still discriminated against with fewer board opportunities. The effectiveness of training and development of directors and retention was hindered by the culture in mining, individual constructed identities and societal gender constructions of roles and responsibilities. These constructions undermined the talent of women in boards and constructed the talent of men as superior.

Thesisi ye e fa tlhahlobo ye e tseneletšego ya ditirišo tša taolo ya talente ka dikhamphaning tše tshela tša meepo tša go ngwadišwa le JSE ka Afrika Borwa. E nyakišiša gobaneng talente ya mosadi e hlokomologilwe, le gore gobaneng basadi ba tšwela pele go ba palo ye nnyane mo dibotong le ge e le gore molao wa Afrika Borwa o thekga tekatekano ya bong le gore tokafatšo ya taba (business case) e hlatsetšwe go ya ka tirišo. Mokgwatlwaelo wa basadi wa Afrika o šomišwa ka go kopantšha mokgwa wa maemo a magareng woo o lebantšhago go kopano ya morafe le bong. Tšhomišo ya mokgwatlwaelo wa basadi wa Afrika gape e dira teori seemo sa go ithuta bong go ya ka mabaka a moswananoši gomme mo tabeng ye, intasteri ye e tletšego ka banna ka nageng ya morago ga kgatelelo le morago ga kgethollo. Dipoelo di bontšhitše gore intasteri e lebana le diphapano tša sebopego tša bong tše di hlahlwago ke maikutlo ao a tsentšwego a lekala, le le sa ntšego le tšea lehlakore go ya ka morafe. Komiti ya ditšhišinyo e tletše ka thwalo ya taolo ya banna, yeo e tšeago lehlakore ebile e se ya semmušo, gomme dikriteria tša go fapana tša thwalo di a šomišwa go basadi. Basadi ka moka go sa šetšwe morafe, ba be ba lebana le ditlwaedi, eupša ba be ba šogana le tšona ka go fapana. Basadi ba bathobaso ba sa ntše ba lebana le kgatelelo ya go menagana gararo ya go amana le bong bja bona, morafe, le boemo. Ka go tšhoga nyenyefatšo, basadi ba Bathobaso ba be ba nyaka tumelelo go banna, kudu ya banna ba Bathobašweu. Basadi ba Bathobašweu, Bathobaso, Maindia le Bammala ba be ba sa bolele ka dikgethollo, eupša gape ba be ba sa ntše ba gatelelwa kgahlanong le menyetla e se mekae ya boto. Katlego ya tlhahlo le tlhabollo ya balaodibagolo le kganetšo di šitišitšwe ke setšo sa meepo, maitšhupo ao a bopilwego a go ikgetha le dibopego tša bong tša setšhaba tša dikarolo le maikarabelo. Dibopego tše di nyaditše talente ya basadi ka dibotong gomme di bopile talente ya banna go ba ya maemo a godimo. Nyakišišo ye e kgatha tema go dingwalo tša tirišo tša basadi mo dibotong ka go nyakišiša mašomelo a taolo ya talente – a selo se se hlokomologilwego basading mo dinyakišišong tša diboto. E hlaloša ka fao basadi ba thwalwago, hlahlelwago maemo a boto le go hlaloša hlokomologo ya go tsenela taolo ya talente.