Cell C roundtable discussion addresses the need of men and boys’ inclusion

Cell C hosted a roundtable discussion last month highlighting the need to dismantle the shackles of not including men and boys in the conversation of providing equal opportunity.

Speakers at the discussion included counselling psychologist and tertiary lead at Tomorrow Trust, Natasha Turton, and executive head of corporate communications at Cell C, Lethiwe Hlatshwayo. The panel mentioned the ever-climbing statistics of gender-based violence, the demographics of most boardrooms and how it is decreasing the progress of gender equality.

Turton said, “In our country, this challenge is further compounded by our legacy of racial inequality which results in black women, who constitute the majority of our population, being the most under-represented in those key decision-making structures. But now is not the time to become despondent. It is high time we step up our efforts and start engaging young boys, who themselves are usually also victims of patriarchy, as they will grow up to become South Africa’s men.”

The panel agreed that the topic of turning all the attention to girls, and excluding boys, forms part of an important intervention. Reference was made to renowned US-based therapist and author, Terry Real, who was interviewed by Forbes during the surge of the #MeToo movement in the United States of America. “Misogyny and masculinity are flip sides of the same coin. What it means to be a ‘man’ today is to not be a girl. Not be feminine. The contempt for the feminine is part of the patriarchal culture,” Real said, speaking on his own experiences.

He added, “Patriarchy does not only exist in men. The force of patriarchy is the water that we all swim in and we’re the fish. Women can be just as patriarchal as men by holding those same types of values and biases.”

Cell C launched Take a Girl Child to Work Day 19 years ago to give girls a step-up and to champion gender equality in the workplace and society. However, the company has now started including boys. From 2022, boys will have a dedicated programme that includes constructive mentorship.

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