{
  "id": 4815687,
  "title": "Building resilient economies means keeping the women we have already hired",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/01/building-resilient-economies-means-keeping-the-women-we-have-already",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-09-01T06:36:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "ITWeb",
    "slug": "itweb",
    "url": "https://www.itweb.co.za/article/building-resilient-economies-means-keeping-the-women-we-have-already-hired/5yONPvErV5X7XWrb"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On the 9th of August in 1956, 20,000 women gathered at the Union Buildings, marching with petitions and demanding change. Their cause was clear: to challenge the institutions holding power over their circumstances. Yet, in the years since, the focus has shifted, urging women to be more resilient and ambitious individually. This assumption, however, overlooks the fact that institutional change is the true obstacle. As we observe Women's Month and the theme of Building Resilient Economies for All, a crucial question arises: why do organizations continue to lose the women they have hired?\n\nThe issue extends beyond diversity; it is an economic concern. Employers in both public and private sectors struggle to find experienced digital professionals. While programs recruit talented individuals, the focus often shifts to producing more talent without addressing retention. Experienced professionals leave, taking with them institutional memory, trusted relationships, professional judgment, and years of investment. In the tech industry, where knowledge compounds through experience, these losses compound, creating a cycle of replacing capability rather than retaining it.\n\nRetention is not merely an HR or diversity metric; it is a measure of organizational capability and economic resilience. In South Africa, employment equity data reveals that while women enter organizations and advance through early stages, they thin out as they reach seniority levels. The Commission for Employment Equity's reports show that women hold 48.1% of professionally qualified and middle management positions, 37.7% of senior management positions, and 26.9% of top management positions. However, this progress at lower and middle management levels has not translated into substantial gains at senior and executive levels.\n\nGlobal evidence also indicates persistent barriers in the leadership pipeline. The World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2025 highlights that the gap between women's representation in middle and top management has remained at 5.4 percentage points since 2020. The ISC2's 2026 study on women in cybersecurity revealed that 45% of women cited work-life balance and caregiving demands as barriers to staying and advancing, compared to 29% of men. Additionally, 34% of women identified pay or promotion inequity, while only 19% of men did. The most alarming finding is that 42% of men were unaware of significant barriers to women's advancement, while only 17% of women acknowledged the same.\n\nThis disparity is not due to intent but visibility. People make decisions based on the information available to them, and leaders who do not see a barrier are less likely to measure or address it. The issue lies in systems that appear neutral but produce unequal outcomes. Organizations rarely lose experienced women through one dramatic decision; they lose them through numerous small actions. These decisions include who receives stretch assignments leading to promotions, who is presumed to be available for travel, whose potential is recognized before their experience, whose flexible working requests are interpreted as commitment or compromise, and who is invited into strategic conversations.\n\nFurthermore, organizations often fail to recognize the capability already present within their ranks. Cybersecurity depends on various capabilities, including governance, regulation, risk assessment, business continuity, communication, and crisis management. These capabilities exist within most organizations, particularly in roles like compliance specialists, internal auditors, business analysts, project managers, privacy professionals, and risk practitioners. However, organizations sometimes search for external talent where they already possess the necessary skills. This failure to recognize internal capability is not a talent shortage but a failure to see the value in what is already available.\n\nIn Women's Month, we urge organizations to reconsider their approach to retaining experienced women. Building resilient economies requires more than just attracting diverse talent; it demands creating environments where these individuals can thrive, advance, and contribute their full capabilities. By addressing systemic barriers and valuing existing capabilities, organizations can foster a more inclusive and resilient workplace.",
  "summary": "SA’s employment equity data shows women entering organisations and progressing through the early stages of their careers, then thinning out as seniority rises, says Denise Mukozho, chairperson of the IITPSA Women in IT Chapter.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}