Mentors and mentees of the Vance Center mentorship programme gathered for an evening of celebration as mentees were awarded with plaques for their contribution in the Advancing Women in the Workplace (AWW) programme. The event that was held in collaboration with the United States (US) Mission to South Africa, was not just to celebrate these women, but it also offered an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the bonds formed between and among mentors and mentees over the course of the AWW programme.

The evening had no shortage of exciting speakers, made up of guest speakers such as the US Ambassador to South Africa, Reuben E Brigety, Judge Navanethem Pillay, legal practitioners, as well as academics. Judge Pillay not only encouraged and shared her words of wisdom but also shared stories of her journey as a woman in the legal profession. A survey that Vance Center ran, also formed a part of the discussion at the event. The summary of the study states that the underrepresentation of women in leadership roles in the legal industry is a complicated problem with many facets and contributing causes. While there is no single cause, several key factors are often cited as playing a role in perpetuating gender disparity such as implicit bias and stereotypes, workplace culture and discrimination, work-life balance, lack of mentorship, and the gender pay gap. The aim of this study was to delineate the barriers and challenges that affect women of colour in the legal profession and to determine why the advancement of women of colour to higher positions is slow and not prevalent.

The study looked in depth at barriers affecting women in the workplace, such as –

• discrimination;
• sexual harassment;
• bullying; and
• The study showed that women in the profession have faced disproportionate disadvantages due to motherhood. Mothers are disadvantaged based on workload, income, and upward mobility.
• Work environment. In the survey, two thirds of respondents found their working hours convenient but 86% agreed that flexible working hours might improve their work-life balance. While a shift is required toward flexibility, participants stated that it is not happening quickly enough. Fifty-two percent of respondents feel they must act in a certain way to fit in. Close to three quarters believe that patriarchal and sexist practices are still embedded in the general legal culture.

According to the Vance Center the AWW programme was established in 2022 with the goal of supporting young black legal practitioners to advance to leadership positions in the South African legal profession. The organisation revealed that beyond the programmatic offerings of training sessions and fireside chats, the programme sought to delve deep into workplace dynamics, shedding light on challenges faced by black women in legal professions and their path toward leadership roles. The Vance Center calls on experience mentor to join the mentorship circle. A mentorship programme that supports women in development in seeking to develop professional leadership skills and attain leadership positions.

Kgomotso Ramotsho Cert Journ (Boston) Cert Photography (Vega) is the news reporter at De Rebus.