To encourage the entry of more women into engineering and scientific professions, women in these positions can reach out and highlight their achievements, according to SRK Consulting (South Africa) Senior Engineering Geologist Basetsana Mmileng.
Working in SRK Consulting since completing her Honours degree 10 years ago, Mmileng said it had been encouraging to work in a company with a growing number of women professionals in senior and leadership positions. While acknowledging the challenges of working in male-dominated industries like mining and construction, she said that gender diversity could be improved if more school leavers saw role models they could relate to – and were given the right encouragement.
“It is still common to encounter stereotyping and discrimination – be it conscious or unconscious – but this is being challenged as more women prove their expertise and abilities in the field,” she said.
Women in leadership
SRK Consulting has actively encouraged women into the consulting field and has for more than a decade employed almost as many women as men, with the numbers of women scientists in the company often exceeding those of men. The proportion of women in the leadership of the business has also changed significantly, according to SRK Consulting (South Africa) Partner and Human Resources Manager Monique du Toit.
“While there were no female partners in 2014, women now make up 30% of the partner group,” said Du Toit. “In the past five years alone, 50% of our partner appointments have been women”.
Transforming culture
Mmileng explained that this kind of progress is having a transformational impact on the culture of the sector, and to its appeal for young women school leavers and graduates.
“As professional women in consulting, we need to put ourselves out there – to showcase our achievements and lead the conversation,” she argued. “Even at undergraduate level, many women have negative impressions and experiences of certain sectors and disciplines – so we need to change this narrative with the positive opportunities and potential in industry”.
She highlighted the importance of women in leadership roles, who can provide both inspiration as role model and practical support as mentors.
“This is valuable for the aspirations of girls in school, for instance, to start imagining how their future could look,” she said. “They need to understand that we – as women professionals – are active in these sectors, are thriving there, and are having our own impact on the workplace culture”.
