Page 91 - SARB: 100-Year Journey

Gender relations
In the 1920s, government institutions were largely staffed by men, with women generally appointed as clerks. Some men were also appointed as clerks, but they were paid more than the women. It also mattered whether a male staff member was married or not. Married men earned more money than their unmarried male colleagues, as well as more than their female colleagues.
The practice was consistent with the social norms of the time: that men with families had wives and children to look after, and women were expected to have working husbands.
Officers of the SARB were expected to conduct themselves as “gentlemen”, “both in official and private life”. Gambling, public association with politics, as well as borrowing and lending were prohibited and invited strict censure in the event of a breach. Officers were required to “undergo the examination of the Institute of Bankers.” (South African Reserve Bank, 1934).
The Bank was strict in its dealing with women, as both employees and customers. “No account may be opened for a married woman without the written consent of her husband, unless she can produce satisfactory evidence that all her legal rights are retained by her, in which case a copy of the document under which these rights are retained must be filed. No account may be opened for a divorcee unless in similar manner it may be shewn that she has full authority to conduct a banking account.” (South African Reserve Bank, 1934).
The SARB’s long journey to gender representation took eight governors, all male, and 88 years. In 2009, Gill Marcus became the first woman to occupy the position of Governor. Marcus remains the only woman to have led the institution in its 100-year history.
In the 1920s, women were appointed as clerks. /SARB
From the early days of the SARB until the mid-1990s, the women wore uniforms and had to adhere strictly to the uniform dress code requirements. /SARB
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