The factors influencing women’s progression to leadership roles in South Africa

'This research investigates the situation of women leaders in SA over 25 years after major policy reforms and the end of the oppressive apartheid regime that discriminated against so many people. Despite the reforms, it seemed apparent that women and black women in particular are absent from leadership positions in South Africa today. I therefore decided to undertake an enquiry underpinned by the theoretical concept of intersectionality and to use an intersectional analysis to look at the social and structural factors that influence women’s career progression. I used Life History Calendars and indepth interviews to reveal the life and work experiences of 15 predominantly Black female South African business leaders. This study sought to understand how women create and commit meaning around their lived experiences, how they experience the malleability and boundaries of multiple identities, and how they experience the imbroglio of macro, meso, and micro societal and organizational forces. In addition, it looks towards identifying practices and policies that are challenging for women. The study further explores the relationships between organizational and social cultures and ideologies that can be problematic for women and uses reflections on Intersectional experiences to comment with an intersectional lens and sensibility on how the lived experiences were similar or different in each case. The findings are portrayed through a storytelling lens and a golden thread makes the recommendations and link between research and literature very clear.