The rise of women joining the to be of great interest to
organizational leaders, human resource managers, and to
women themselves. Not only are organizations affected by
this shift of women moving primarily from home to joining
the workforce, but communities, cities, and even governments
are taking notice of this shift and both the ramifications
of and opportunities for women as they join the workforce.
Although little is known about women joining the workforce
outside of the Westernized countries, we are beginning to
learn of this shift throughout the globe. For example, the
United Arab Emirates (UAE) began hosting the "Women
as Global Leaders" conference in 2005 to encourage
the leadership development of women throughout the world
who will be leaders in their families, their countries,
and their region.1 In the UAE, "Women make up about
70% of the college and university population, and their
participation in the workforce has multiplied six-fold since
the 1970s (about 25% currently). Emirates continue to place
a strong emphasis on traditional family and home values,
but the government actively encourages women to enter the
workforce as well" (conference website). For many nations,
this shift from women serving as full-time homemakers to
both full-time homemakers and full-time employees outside
of the home began as a slow progression beginning in the
mid to late-1800s.
Women in South Africa have told us that the current president,
Thabo Mbeki, has demonstrated a clear intention to promote
the rise of women in the workforce. This has been evidenced
in his choice of Members of Parliament in the ruling African
Democratic Party (ADP). In addition, the new Premier of
the Western Cape province in South Africa was recently announced—
Lynne Brown, considered one of many demonstrations of the
nation's liberal post-apartheid constitution. Also noteworthy
is that in the last few years several women mayors have
risen to leadership positions, the significant one being
the new leader of the official opposition party in South
Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA). Also, quite notably,
is Helen Zille, who currently fulfills the dual roles as
mayor of Cape Town and a Member of Parliament as the head
of the DA. She is considered wise and outspoken and is a
great role model of integrity in the country. Now while
these are trends in the nation, women feel this anecdotal
evidence suggests that there still remains a degree of prejudice
towards women in positions of prominence.
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