Access to Business
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Women are having a significant economic impact globally and are becoming an increasingly important economic force. They contribute more to economic growth than new technologies or emerging markets. They also influence areas like fertility rates, workforce participation and consumer spending. As women gain more education and financial autonomy, they make decisions that shift household spending towards categories that are more important to women and families. Women reinvest over 90% of their income in their communities. However, more can be done to support women in leadership positions and help them access business opportunities. Mentorship is key to creating support and empowering women. Both organizations and individuals must work to promote strategies that advance women's careers and productivity.
Access to Business
- 1. Women In Business Access to the World of Business September 2015 1 Presented by: Ali Engelbrecht
- 2. Access to the World of Business
- 3. Topics to be discussed: • Women Impact on the World Economy. • Women as an Economic Force. • Women Leadership Positions. • Accessing the Business World. – Challenges and Initiatives. – What can women do? – Where to from here? • Conclusion 3
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- 5. Globally, the women-effect is already driving dramatic changes in: • fertility rates, (Statistics SA’s Recorded Live Births 2014 report records a general decrease in births countrywide over the last three years, with an expert believing we are in for a major decrease in less than a decade) The Witness Tuesday 2nd September 2015 pg 2 Jonathan Erasmus • workforce participation, • consumer spending, • powering the doubling of the global middle class over the next two decades. 5 Women Impact on the World Economy
- 6. 6 • A Goldman Sachs report, “The Power of the Purse ,” contends education for girls is increasing women’s decision-making power, shifting household spending patterns toward food, healthcare, education, childcare, apparel, consumer durables and financial services, categories more important to women. In microfinance, it’s well-known that women clients are more likely to repay their loans. http://www.bloomberg.com • Education allows women to have fewer children and number of women of reproductive age is decreasing. Nompumelelo Nzimande UKZN population and development studies department.
- 7. Women as an Economic force • Women contributed more to the expansion of the world economy than new technology or the emerging markets of China and India. • Dividends for wider community: women re-invest more than 90% of their income • Women generally control resources of the household 7
- 8. Women are the single biggest and least acknowledged- force for economic growth on the planet. 8 Women as an economic force
- 9. • One thing is certain: Women’s rise to power, which is linked to the increase in wealth per capita, is happening in all domains and at all levels of society. • Women are no longer content to provide efficient labour or to be consumers • We have entered the age of “Womenomics, the economy as thought out and practiced by a woman.” Aude Zieseniss de Thuin, Financial Times, 10.03.2006 9 Women Leadership Positions
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- 11. • One Avon lipstick sold every four seconds! • One in every five women buy Avon products! • What does that tell you about women buying power? • Interesting – Avon SA, based in Johannesburg is headed up by a man – Mafahle Maraletse. • Employ 6 million independent representatives worldwide and get this……”mainly women”. • 75% of representatives reported that Avon had helped them to achieve financial autonomy. • Nearly 90% said they had learned skills from Avon that could be transferred to other employment. Sunday Tribune. Top Brands 2015. A Times Media Supplement. August 2015 11 Avon Question??
- 12. Accessing the Business World • Challenges? • What can women do? • Where to from here? • Jot down thoughts for Panel Discussion 12
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- 14. 14 Women need to get to the point where they aren’t apologising. It’s fine to take ownership in their success. Tory Burch. CEO & Designer It’s equally as good to take ownership of failures!
- 15. 15 Forget everything and run……….. Face everything and rise?
- 16. 16 It’s important to be willing to make mistakes. The worst thing that can happen is you become memorable! Sara Blakely. Founder Spanx
- 17. 17 http://www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk Make social platforms work for you!
- 18. Personal Branding 18 • Reputation takes: – Time – Dedication – Honesty – Integrity – Determination – Longevity – Profile
- 19. “Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.” Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon.com
- 21. Put yourself out there! 21
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- 24. Every occasion tells a story
- 25. Get involved
- 26. It’s worth the effort
- 27. 27 On average, women and men possess a number of different innate skills. And current trends suggest that many sectors of the twenty-first-century economic community are going to need the natural talents of women. Helen Fisher, The First Sex: The Natural Talents of Women and How They Are Changing the World
- 28. • Mentorship is key in creating a supportive infrastructure to further women in their careers. • Both organisations and individuals are accountable for putting effective strategies in place to promote the empowerment of women, thereby positively influencing the productivity of the labour market. 28 Current challenges and initiatives
- 29. What can women do and what should be done? • A nation‘s competitiveness depends significantly on whether and how it educates and utilises its female talent. • In the current global financial and economic crisis, it is more vital than ever that women‘s economic participation does not shrink, but is in fact seen as an opportunity to make headway. Laura D Tyson 29
- 30. What can women do and what should be done? • Become a mentor • Find a mentor • Attitude • Leadership style • Contradiction of empowerment • What are your core skills 30
- 31. What can women do and what should be done? • Identify your personality type – Introvert – Extrovert – Combination? www.womeninbusiness.org.za 31 http://www.quietrev.com/the-introvert-test/
- 32. Education • Life Long Learning • Vehicle to impart cultural values, norms and standards • Imparts knowledge, skills, attitudes, behaviour, competencies • Knowledge is power 32
- 33. Where to from here? • What are WE, as women, doing to uplift other women, to empower them, to prepare them for leadership positions? • What are WE teaching our young girls? • What are WE doing in our communities? • What are WE doing in our work environments? • What are WE doing to protect our girl children? How are we preparing them to be LEADERS, right NOW? 33
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- 35. 35 So what are you going to do? • Believe in yourself and in your product/service • Have a support system • Find your passion • Patience and perseverance • Be flexible, adaptable • Be willing to take risks • Priorities • Only you are responsible for your life and your future • What you do today, will determine who you will be tomorrow • Take control of your life, otherwise someone else will • Live with positivity • Enjoy your life • Dare to Disagree (Margaret Hefferman 2012) • Be an opportunity maker (Kare Anderson 2014)
- 36. Conclusion 36 “So often, it takes only one woman to make a difference. If you empower that woman with information, and training, or a microloan, she can lift up her entire family and contribute to the success of her community. Multiply that one woman’s impact by a hundred or a thousand, and perhaps a million lives can change.” Condoleezza Rice, former US Secretary of State
- 37. I have 3 challenges for you!!! • It ALL STARTS WITH YOU!!! • What happens after this conference? • What legacy are you going to leave behind one day? • What is your personal mantra? 37 My personal mantra: Conservative women don’t make history!
- 39. Readings and References • http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2013-10-23/a-billion-women-are-about-to-transform-the- global-economy • Sunday Tribune. Top Brands 2015. A Times Media Supplement. August 2015 • http://www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk • Cain, S., 2013. Quiet. London: Penguin Books • http://www.goldmansachs.com/our-thinking/focus-on/investing-in-women/bios-pdfs/power-of-purse.pdf • http://www.microfinancegateway.org/gm/document- 1.9.40253/Women%20and%20Repayment%20in%20Microfinance.pdf • The Witness 2nd September 2015 39
Editor's Notes
- #4: No magic wand. Discuss how you can make the difference to yourself to make yourself accessible to the business world out there. No good sitting back and waiting. You need to create the space for opportunities to knock. If you don’t have the door how can opportunity knock so you can let it in?
- #5: Do you know the person on your left? On your right? In front of you? Behind you? Well then introduce yourself by saying something good to each one of them. Now lets tell one another something arbitrary about ourselves. Why? Because people will remember you for the fun things you say and do not the serious part. That comes once a relationship formed.
- #22: Honourable Minister of Finance Mr Nene
- #23: Yvonne Chaka Chaka
- #24: Volunteer. Give back.
- #27: 2014/2015 Country Winner – Africa’s Most Influential Women In Business and Government (Welfare and Civil Society Organisations)