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Byrne reviews 'The United Nations and The Advancement of Women 1945-1996.'.

Die Veröffentlichung beschreibt die seit der Weltfrauenkonferenz im September 1995 in Beijing unternommenen Initiativen, die dort beschlossene Aktionsplattform in Europa und Afrika umzusetzen. Ein eigener Teil befaßt sich ausführlich mit den in den SADC-Länder unternommenen Initiativen. Im Anhang u.a.: The Windhoek Agenda on Gender Equality (März 1997), SADC Declaration on Gender and Development (September 1997). (DÜI-Sbd)

In 1966, the United Nations Educational, Scien tific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proposed to member states a long-range program for the advancement of women. Even if it was a new priority activity in the general plan of the Organization, it corresponded to the ethical position of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and it had been prepared through normative dispositions and recommendations endorsed by an ever growing number of member states. The importance of the economic and social role of women in the development of states which are indus trialized, or on the way to becoming industrialized, is gen erally recognized. Such development will take place with their full and complete participation or it will not take place at all. Women constitute a valuable reservoir of talent and energy, and UNESCO, by teaching adults to read and write, by educating children of both sexes, and by providing adoles cents with a varied scientific and technological knowledge, is attempting to give women the possibility of playing in their society the very role which is considered their birthright in the Charter of the United Nations. This activity was begun in a biennial program by UNESCO; it is an integral part of the Decade of Development; it is stimulating enthusiasm; and it calls upon the good will of the responsible organs of the states and of nongovernmental organizations.

In 1996,10 out of 24 people newly admitted to the Canadian partnership of Deloitte & Touche were women. In the last three years, retention of women at the senior manager level of the firm has improved by 10%. Women now occupy some key leadership positions never previously held by women. In professions as traditionally male‐dominated as chartered accountancy and management consulting, these are important successes — and ones that we can attribute to significant initiatives within the firm aimed at re‐shaping our corporate culture. How did this come about?

In recent years, various initiatives, protocols and legislation have been developed globally to promote gender equality and address existing discrimination against women. South Africa is no exception to this trend. In the global mining industry, equal opportunity and mining legislation introduced by various countries, including South Africa, have opened up former bastions, such as mining, to women. Since the introduction of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 and the accompanying Broad-Based Socio-Economic Empowerment Charter, in 2004, the number of women in the mining industry has increased significantly. However, the "gender issue" still remains contentious and very problematic in the industry and women are still subjected to various challenges. This article aims to reveal the barriers women encounter in the industry. This study adopted a qualitative research design. Data were collected by means of semi-structured individual and group interviews. The research findings show that women are subjected to social, physiological, structural and employment barriers. Therefore, it is of paramount importance that the relevant government departments, top and senior management in the mining industry, as well as human resource managers and employment relations practitioners embrace and support a clear-cut vision of gender diversity in the industry.

PurposeIn South Africa, women in senior management positions experience social identity dilemmas, necessitating more research into this domain. While research has been conducted into coaching and mentoring of these women, limited scholarly attention has been paid to sponsorship. This paper aims to explore the social identity of women at senior management levels and sponsorship as a proposed mechanism to develop talented women.Design/methodology/approachThis qualitative research included two studies using two sample groups, both of which included executive-level respondents in corporate organisations. One study focussed on sponsorship; here, the 29-strong sample included 14 male and 15 female executives, of whom 15 were White; 9 were African and 5 were Indian. The second study, consisting of only African, coloured and Indian (ACI) female executives (23 interviewees), focussed more broadly on their development path to the C-suite.FindingsA common theme across the two studies was the inclination to give developmental support, in turn, once supported. There were prerequisites in this support-giving, however. For example, sponsors identified criteria that protégés had to meet. Despite evident gender inequality at senior management levels in South Africa, this paper reveals that in the Study 1 sample, gender and race were ostensibly irrelevant when choosing a sponsor or who to sponsor. A closer examination revealed a gender-based expectation, embedded in the South African context. Study 2 showed that ACI women above 50 years of age were more inclined to mentor others; even when they themselves were not mentored, some purposefully developed other ACI women. This paper thus suggests age as an important additional diversity dimension in relation to the career development of ACI women towards the C-suite. The findings have implications for the career development of individual ACI women and for organisations in reaching equality.Research limitations/implicationsGender differences with regard to perceptions also revealed that male respondents perceived sponsorship more as task-based actions, whereas female respondents focussed on relational elements. The paper concludes with recommendations on how individual ACI women and organisations can proactively develop talented women.Originality/valueThe paper offers insight into the gendered expectations of sponsors and gendered perceptions around merit in identifying protégés worthy of sponsorship. ACI women's social identity changed when they joined the C-suite to identify more with their roles as executives and became less associated with their original ACI women group.

This paper highlights the institutionalization of gender inequality in Nigerian society and affirms that there is a thin divide between the public and private lives of women in Nigeria, especially in rural areas. It draws attention to the emergence of non-traditional female-headed families. The new trend in defining the household shows that it is a dynamic social unit that is not necessarily built around men. This new flexibility in defining the household helps to envision women, not as persons who work merely to supplement household income, but as persons who engage in economic ventures because they have personal needs and aspirations. The main barriers to the advancement of women in public life are low level of employment of women in the formal labor sector, low literacy rates, gender stereotypes with regard to employment opportunities and promotions, and cultural practices such as patriarchy and early marriage that limit women's access to and control over resources. In their private lives women somehow manage to provide the necessary resources to maintain themselves and their children with or without financial assistance from spouses, although with increased difficulty. The feminization of poverty concept is applicable in view of the high level of poverty among women. In order to remedy the situation for women in Nigeria, and to enhance the lives of the populace in general, proposals are put forth that it is hoped will be embraced by government leaders, employers, families and individuals.