The role of perceived inclusion and organisational commitment as a mediator on the retention of women in manufacturing

Abstract

The South African manufacturing industry has been experiencing high attrition rates of women at a time when a critical STEM skills shortage is hampering economic growth of the country. The lack of retention of women within the industry is a topic of interest as organisations grapple with the effectiveness of their DEI programs. Whilst diversity has been well researched over the years, inclusion is still a topic in its infancy, with limited empirical studies resulting in a lack of understanding of the meaning and impact of inclusion within the workplace. This research project was therefore a study on the role of perceived inclusion and organisational commitment as a mediator on the retention of women in manufacturing in South Africa. Through a quantitative approach, data was collected from 253 employees within the industry to obtain insights and statistically analysed. Tests for differences and structural equation modelling supported findings of gender differences of perceived inclusion leading to women perceiving less inclusion in the workplace compared to men. Contrary to academic literature, the strengths of the relationships between perceived inclusion and retention were not found to be stronger for men. Additionally, organisational commitment partially mediated the relationship by complementing the perceptions of inclusion into retention. A model was provided to assist the manufacturing industry in using perceived inclusion to drive retention through organisational commitment. The results provided insights on the importance of motivational factors such as inclusion in driving organisational commitment and the inclusion of women through decision making, access to information, formal and informal work activities and male advocacy in order to improve the retention within the manufacturing industry.