Survey highlights gender inequality in supply chain

Coinciding with Women’s Month in South Africa, The Professional Body for Supply Chain Management (SAPICS) has announced the results of its latest Women in Supply Chain Leadership Survey. It reveals that women in the supply chain profession earn less than their male counterparts and that the majority have faced gender discrimination in the workplace.

A worrying 64% of the female respondents said that they had experienced or witnessed gender discrimination in the workplace. Also concerning was the finding that 70% of the women surveyed had experienced resistance when leading men. More than one-third (36%) of the women who took part in the survey said that salaries for men were higher in their organisations, while 35% of the participants were unsure of this.

The female respondents cited gender bias and the male-dominated industry as two factors blocking the progression of their careers in supply chain management. Confidence and family commitments also ranked among the biggest challenges facing female supply chain leaders today, according to the survey.

While the results underscore how much work needs to be done to break down barriers for women in supply chain leadership, they also show that gender balance is being prioritised by organisations. Asked if their company’s leadership is committed to gender equality, only 14% of the women surveyed said that it was not an important and strategic element in the business.

Men were also included in this survey; according to SAPICS, it was encouraging that 100% of the male respondents felt that men have an important role to play in championing gender diversity.

SAPICS president MJ Schoemaker notes that while the survey results show that the profession has a long way to go in terms of gender diversity and inclusion, SAPICS has a good story to tell this Women’s Month in South Africa. “There are more women in the supply chain management profession today than there were 10 years ago, while SAPICS has had four female presidents over the years,” she says.

When Schoemaker was nominated as SAPICS president in 2021, she took over from Keabetswe Mpane, who had served as a director of SAPICS for eight years and had a two-year tenure as president. Tracy Cheetham has the honour of being the first woman president of SAPICS. She served in this role for five years and handed it over to Liezl Smith, who was a director of SAPICS for nine years.

“However, while we have seen an increase in the number of women employed in the supply chain field this is not at the executive level,” Schoemaker cautions. “Women are predominantly working in support functions and there is little movement to the upper levels. South Africa is lagging behind in innovative solutions such as flexible working hours for parents and hybrid working solutions, which would allow for career advancement and opportunities.”

Organisations must have a clear diversity and inclusion policy that promotes equal opportunities for all employees. “Action must start at the top and be cascaded through the organisation to ensure that all leaders recognise the importance of diversity and move away from the traditional unconscious bias that supply chain is a male career,” stresses Schoemaker.