Mastercard is tackling gender equality by getting involved with women in South Africa!
Johannesburg, South Africa (26 August 2021) – Mastercard has been a long-standing advocate of diversity, inclusion and partnerships aimed at promoting good governance and integrity for women. This is part of the company’s commitment to harness the power of its brand and footprint to remove obstacles that impede women from achieving their full potential and to drive gender equity.
This month, as we honour and celebrate women Mastercard shares inspiring stories of four remarkable, selfless, fearless, and limitless South African women from different corners of the country now living out their dreams. The Mastercard ‘She Is’ campaign spotlights women from a variety of professions and demonstrates to viewers—regardless of age or gender—that there are no limits to what is achievable.
The issue of gender inequality has been brought sharply into the spotlight as South Africa celebrates women’s month in August. Gender disparity manifests itself in many forms, including disproportionate investment in women sport. South African women rugby is a case in point. Women’s rugby is the world’s fastest-growing sport, however, this sporting code has been lingering under the shadow of men’s rugby in terms of the value of sponsorship it attracts and television coverage.
To that end, Mastercard has a proud and long-standing association with women’s rugby in South Africa. As a major sponsor of women’s rugby, they are proud of occupying the front-row seats to celebrate and support successful women role models.
“Rugby offers players, coaches and the wider team the opportunities to confidently enjoy a fulfilling career. But inequality and exclusion still hinder women from reaching their potential – from playing internationally to developing their game, getting media exposure, to sitting at a table where decisions are made. By investing and developing women’s rugby at a grassroots level, Mastercard is able to directly contribute much-needed resources where it can make a significant difference,” says Suzanne Morel, Country Manager for South Africa at Mastercard.
Mastercard has launched a number of initiatives to support women rugby in South Africa, particularly at grassroots level where the need is greatest.
In 2019 Mastercard started an initiative called Start Something Priceless, where the programme’s ambassadors Bryan Habana and Dan Carter paid a surprise visit to the Pirates Women Rugby Club and conducted coaching clinics. Later that year, the club competed in an international competition, The Dubai Sevens, which is an annual rugby sevens and social event held at The Sevens Stadium in Dubai, UAE.
Last year, Mastercard sponsored the Golden Lions Rugby Union women’s teams, another testament of how the company is building a better future with women in mind and women involved while championing those women who have made their mark.
In 2021, Mastercard once again became the proud sponsor of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, strengthening its commitment to women’s rugby. The move sends a powerful signal for gender equality in sports and demonstrates a continued focus on gender-balanced marketing. Piwokuhle Nyanda and Chanel Alberts were announced as Mastercard Women’s Rugby ambassadors, and the company continued their efforts to pioneer gender equality in sports, through a sponsorship agreement with the South African Broadcast Corporation (SABC) to broadcast exclusive women’s grassroots rugby content to ignite an interest in the game. This sponsorship aims to increase the television coverage of women’s grassroots rugby and expand on the continued focus on gender-balanced marketing.
“Through our involvement and support of women’s rugby, we’re connecting people to possibilities – which is fundamental to how Mastercard operates. It’s what ‘priceless’ is all about, which is unlocking the potential in every individual across all spheres of life. Because a world that works better for women, creates limitless possibilities for us all,” Morel concludes.
You can listen to the interview here:
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