In an industry where women comprise nearly half the workforce but hold fewer than a quarter of senior leadership roles, systemic inequities continue to shape career outcomes for women in logistics, transport, and supply chain.
Image: Ron Ai
Nearly half of women in South Africa’s logistics, transport, and supply chain sector suspect that men are paid more than they are for the same work, highlighting persistent systemic gender pay gaps.
In an industry where women comprise nearly half the workforce but hold fewer than a quarter of senior leadership roles, systemic inequities continue to shape career outcomes for women in logistics, transport, and supply chain.
Recent research from supply chain umbrella body SAPICS's Women in Supply Chain Leadership Survey highlights a stark disconnect in perceptions of workplace equity. While 89% of men believe career advancement opportunities are equal, only 57% of women agree – with more than a third of women strongly disagreeing.
The gender pay gap is particularly troubling. Just 25% of women believe salaries are equal, compared to 63% of men, and 45% of women suspect that men are paid more for the same work.
“The disconnect between male and female perceptions of workplace equity is deeply concerning,” says Catherine Larkin, Executive Director of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport South Africa (CILTSA). “If male leaders don't see a problem, it's harder to solve one.”
The South African landscape mirrors global trends. Internationally, women account for 41% of the supply chain workforce but hold only 23% of vice president-level roles. Locally, women make up just 28% of the sector.
Yet research from the Peterson Institute for International Economics, which analysed 21,980 companies across 91 nations, found that greater female leadership correlates with a 15% rise in profitability. McKinsey & Company similarly reports that companies in the top quartile for gender diversity are more likely to outperform financially.
Studies also show that gender-diverse teams excel at problem-solving, and Harvard Business Review research links diversity in leadership with higher revenue from new products and services – further underlining the cost of inaction.
The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport South Africa will address these systemic challenges at its Women in Logistics, Transport and Supply Chain Empowerment Conference in Johannesburg next month.