Following the release of Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg’s book “Lean In” yesterday, March 11, females in the tech industry spoke out about gender roles in the workplace.
In her book, Sandberg provides tips to women with regards to gaining respect through conduct in a predominantly male profession.
South African entrepreneur Veronica Shangali, founder of African art trading startup Wavunow, believes “any woman who ventures into male dominated businesses has to always look at herself as a ‘business person’, not as a ‘woman business person’”.
Shangali has succeeded in becoming a finalist as the only female entrepreneur in the International Training Bootcamp for South African entrepreneurs to pitch in the United Kingdom next month.
She recommends dressing appropriately regardless of the gender of the audience, taking note of cultural perceptions and adhering to policies.
Instead, being firm and consistent will earn respect.
Although she admits women are often not taken seriously in the workplace because of their gender, she believes “you don’t have to grow a beard” in order to be considered as a masculine equal.
“Individually, we are good as much as they are,” she said. “I can be whoever I want to be as long as I work hard towards whatever it is I want to achieve.”
“I think there are a number of women in South Africa who are phenomenal leaders and they’re doing it their own way,” Natalie Govender, organiser of business, media and tech networking event 27dinners, told HumanIPO.
Rather than focusing on being underrepresented, “it’s more about being more willing to give credit or praise where it’s due”, she believes.
Govender, who sees Sandberg as a role model on the tech scene, agreed women should not conform to industry standards but rather enter as females in their own right.
Referring to Debbie Edelstein’s annual Women in Leadership conference, which started out as the Wired Women’s Conference: Leadership & Innovation within the digital industry, she explained there are enough opportunities available in supporting women.
“These have been brilliant platforms to celebrate the exceptional women leaders in our country,” Govender said.
HumanIPO has previously reported on South African entrepreneur Judi Sandrock’s opinion of the lack of confidence in African women to be boosted by role models.
From an international perspective, the significance of Sandberg’s focus places emphasis on society’s view of the woman in the workspace.
Commenting on Sandberg’s statement through literature, Blair Christie, chief marketing officer at networking company Cisco Systems, said “she is bringing a topic forward that a lot of people want to talk about.”
“To put herself out there is how she’s chosen to contribute,” Sandy Kurtzig, one of the first females to enter the software company Ask, told Reuters.
