Resilience strategies to counter gender discrimination in South Africa’s manufacturing industry

Abstract

Orientation: A deeper understanding of women’s resilience strategies in the face of gender discrimination warrants exploration for theory building. 
Research purpose: This study sought to examine the nature of gender discrimination as experienced by women leaders in South African manufacturing workplaces; the personal resilience strategies that they employ to counter gender discrimination; and how these strategies transform the praxis of resilience.
Motivation for the study: The study heeds the call for epistemologies of resilience to incorporate women’s perspectives in response to systems of injustice and to provide insights for gender transformation efforts in South African manufacturing organisations.
Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research approach was used, supported by semi-structured interviews with 15 female leaders in South African manufacturing organisations whose narratives were analysed using interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA).
Main findings: This study confirmed the prevalence of gender discrimination in South African manufacturing workplaces, perpetuated by normalised masculine cultures. Women leaders in these environments have developed personal resilience strategies that reflect both a survivalist approach and a more transformative approach; however, the sustainability and systemic impact of these strategies are limited.
Practical/managerial implications: The research has practical implications for women leaders’ resilience strategies in the face of gender discrimination, as well as implications for human resource (HR) practitioners and leaders committed to developing more inclusive workplace cultures in male-dominated environments.
Contribution/value-add: This article contributes to scholarship on gender discrimination and resilience within the unique context of South African manufacturing, incorporating gendered perspectives.