A major output of the modern corporation is the organisational chart, or organogram. As a general rule, the bigger the corporation the more adept it is at manufacturing organograms: stroll through the premises of any company with sufficient heft and you’ll not fail to notice the truth of this axiom.
Just through the main reception, in the open plan offices of the lower floors, where the cubicles breed prairie dog syndrome and shouting ‘Suzie’ will bring up three curious heads in quick succession, you’ll observe the simple and unadorned departmental organogram. Moving to the higher floors, where the walls go all the way to the roof, the sightings will occur with less frequency but the specimens will be more elaborate and comprehensive; you’ll now be viewing the executive organogram. Up here shouting is not done, and even if it were you wouldn’t see many Suzies. Up here the offices, like the top rungs of the executive organogram, are dominated by men.
In dedicating our August issue to women we are going all out to highlight such imbalances. South Africa may have an unassailable Constitution when it comes to the protection of equal opportunity, but, as women still lag way behind men in terms of the top power positions in media, this hasn’t yet meant a whole lot in practice. Looking at the effect some women have had on the media industry, not to mention the remarkable drive and talent that is quite clearly out there, it’s really not a justifiable scenario.