Industry

Khuthaza and the industry

Transformation, when viewed as a business imperative, will contribute to business growth and the growth of the economy as a whole. Khuthaza therefore aims to assist both industry role-players and women to maximise the opportunities presented. Our experience clearly demonstrates that women are committed to adding value to the industry and will continue to develop their position in the industry. BEE policies such as the DTI Codes of Good Practice and Scorecard can be important tools to accelerate transformation and provide a structure for the process.

Khuthaza is a non-profit social enterprise driving the empowerment of women in the housing and construction sectors. Since 1995, under the name Women for Housing, we have partnered with a number of industry role-players to develop women’s industry related skills, careers and businesses. Our focus until recently has been mainly on the housing sector.

New possibilities and long term opportunities characterise our dynamic industry. Women are clearly making a valuable contribution to the growth and development of the country. This is increasingly true within the housing and construction sectors as well. Our scope of work in the industry is therefore expanding into the wider construction and built environment sectors.

We have recently rebranded and now operate under the name Khuthaza. As Khuthaza we endeavour to drive change that will add value to the industry and further encourage women to develop careers and businesses within the sector. Our programmes, services and new areas of business all interlink to build a strong foundation for change ~ change that will contribute to prosperity within the industry.

If you are interested in investing in the future of your own businesses, the industry and the country as a whole, we invite you to partner with us.

Empowerment opportunities

Targets are used, in any sphere, to provide direction and serve as goals. To implement the scorecard and reach toward our targets is our objective as an industry. The challenges lie in being creative, attracting women into the industry and retaining them, accelerating the development of women as leaders in the industry and finding ways to successfully fast-track the upward mobility of women in all aspects of construction. As such, the industry too will need to adopt a multidisciplinary approach to their structures.

Vision and determination play a powerful role in driving change.

Khuthaza intends to play a strong role in facilitating the implementation of the Construction Charter particularly as it relates to the role women will play. However, the true integration of women into the construction industry and the levelling of the playing field will only be successful if there is buy-in and support from the industry. The construction sector has a reputation for being fragmented, but we have a great opportunity, through the implementation of the charter, to work together. Partnerships, ideological commitment and financial support for our programmes are required from industry stakeholders – within both the private and public sectors.

We believe there are many successes and would like to work with the industry to encourage others to invest in the empowerment of women. While we are facing a downturn in the international and local economy, which is impacting on some parts of the construction industry more than others, this down time provides a good opportunity to gear up for the next upturn. Many economists believe that the upturn will begin again toward the end of the year and that now is the time to invest in capacity.

We have found that:

Women enjoy working in the industry
They enjoy the challenge and thrive on it
Women want more responsibility and opportunities to grow
Young professionals feel that they are being underutilised
International trends show that more women are become breadwinners and are becoming a force in many economies
Women are keen to develop their knowledge and skills
They have a strong commitment to adding value – under the right environment
Women are interested in a wide variety of construction related professions and would like the opportunity to choose for themselves

Link between Gender Diversity and Corporate Performance

Recently, international studies showed strong evidence that there is a link between gender diversity and organisational financial performance. A 2007 study conducted by Catalyst, a leading International non-profit organisation, revealed that the ROE (Return on Equity), ROS (Return on Sales) and ROIC (Return on Invested Capital) of companies with a higher representation of women at Board level showed stronger financial performance than those companies with fewer women on their Boards.

The report published in the USA looked at financial data of 353 Fortune 500 companies, over four years, covering five industries. Companies with more women board directors outperformed those with the least women board directors in ROE by 53%, in ROS by 42% and in ROIC by 66%. This in itself seems motivation enough to employ more women in management positions. (BWA 2008 census)

Read the full report here

http://www.catalyst.org/publication/82/the-bottom-line-connecting-corporate-performance-and-gender-diversity

World Bank: Gender Equality is “Nothing More than Smart Economics”

The World Bank’s Gender Action Plan, for the 2007 to 2010 fiscal years, refers to gender equality as smart economics. The action plan, which seeks to advance women’s economic empowerment, finds that “Gains in women’s economic opportunities lag behind those in women’s capabilities.”

The report also finds that “This is inefficient, since increased women’s labour force participation and earnings are associated with reduced poverty and faster growth; women will benefit from their economic empowerment, but so too will men, children and society as a whole. Women’s lack of economic empowerment, on the other hand, not only imperils growth and poverty reduction, but also has a host of other negative impacts, including less favourable education and health outcomes for children and a more rapid spread of HIV/AIDS.”

The report concludes “the business case for expanding women’s economic opportunities is becoming increasingly evident; this is nothing more than smart economics.”

Read the full report here

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTGENDER/Resources/GAPNov2.pdf

Comment on the Construction Economy

Investing in the country’s ability to grow was listed as one of the government’s five pillars framing the 2009/2010 budget. Finance Minister Trevor Manuel’s R787 bn. investment in infrastructure provides a strong foundation for the construction industry over the next several years. The commitment to infrastructure not only paves the way for future development but fosters opportunities for job creation, skills development as well as prospects for women in the medium term.

The construction industry will benefit from Government’s commitment to the long term view. Opportunities will arise when the world economy turns up and industries such as mining, tourism and commercial development will prosper again. The budget’s emphasis on job creation and capacity for long term growth are good for the industry and the country as a whole.

While confidence in the building sector is low, and the non-subsidised housing market in particular is feeling the impact of the economic slowdown, the latest information from FNB and the Bureau of Economic Research shows that confidence in the civil construction sector remains strong. Significant building work will also flow from the civil construction projects. Building work related to the Gautrain and 2010 Soccer World Cup will also help carry the industry through the next couple of years.