Faculty of Management Sciences
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Item Challenges of women entrepreneurship and empowerment in South Africa : evidence from rural areas(PT Keberlanjutan Strategis Indonesia, 2023-09) Nhleko, Mary-Ann Nokulunga; Msomi, Thabiso Sthembiso; Ogunsola, Sijuwade AdedayoThis study aims to identify impediments to expanding women-owned businesses in rural areas of South Africa. The study used a quantitative research method to collect data. The study concentrated on 250 female business owners in the rural communities of Hluhluwe, Ulundi, and Eshowe in northern KZN. The study found that the main obstacles to expanding women-owned businesses in rural areas were financial constraints, a lack of education, and inadequate infrastructure. However, these difficulties experienced by women business owners in rural South Africa can be conquered. Overcoming these obstacles could empower women entrepreneurs and stimulate economic growth in rural areas, thus reducing poverty and enhancing the living standards of rural communities. Based on these findings, the study recommends various interventions, such as alternative financing models, targeted education and training programs, and infrastructure development, to support the growth of women-owned enterprises in rural areas. Future research should examine additional issues such as cultural and social hurdles, a lack of access to markets and information, and legal and regulatory restrictions that impede the establishment of women-owned businesses in rural areas.Item Exploring the factors contributing to low women participation in the KwaZulu-Natal film industry(AMH International Conferences and Seminars Organizing LLC, 2024-06) Buthelezi, Simphiwe Promise; Cele, Thobani; Nxumalo, Londeka Thandokuhle Mimi; Zondo, Nonkululeko Melody; Zondi, Bonginkosi WellingtonGlobally, there is a stark gender imbalance in the film industry, and this is true for the KwaZulu-Natal film industry. There is an underrepresentation of women in production and executive positions, suggesting barriers to entry that discourage women from pursuing a lucrative career in the film industry. A quantitative research approach and an online structured questionnaire were used as a guide to investigate the causes of the low representation of women in the KZN film industry. The target population for this study was 34 women in the film sector. This study offers valuable insight regarding the status of women's participation in the KZN film industry and the challenges they face in this sector. The results suggest that investors prefer males in the industry and the barriers to entry are favorable to those with financial muscle and connections which has limited women's participation in the industry. Common themes included lack of support, lack of long-term opportunities, lack of funding and limited resources, lack of strong women narratives in the film roles, nepotism, lack of connections, and sexual harassment. This study recommends that there is a need for the industry to foster more female-targeted local and international internship programs and the provision of mentorship programs that pair experienced female professionals with aspiring women in the film industry. Furthermore, there is an urgent need for the establishment of labor unions and policy formulation in the film industry to deal with issues of transformation, inclusivity, diversity, safety of women, and equality.Item Women in higher education institutions and the challenge of academic progression(2023-08-03) Anwana, Emem O.; Kayode, Aderinsola E.Female academics in Africa have historically faced several challenges that have hampered their advancement to positions of leadership in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). The study's findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to women's inability to generate research outputs, which are required for advancement in HEIs. This problem was compounded by diverse degrees of infrastructural deficits and poor research funding. This study adopted a qualitative exploratory analysis approach whereby structured interviews were held with 20 female university academics in two African countries to examine the factors that inhibit need for HEIs to review the recognise the additional work that female academics perform in their homes and families. It provides recommendations that may be used by HEI managers to bridge the widening gender gap in leadership positions in HEIs in the selected African countries. The findings cannot be generalised as the sample was taken from female academics from public universities in only two African countries. The study could, however, assist HEI managers and policymakers find solutions to some of the issues affecting women's progression in HEIs.Item An exploration and description of the impact of COVID-19 on women's employment in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa(Durban University of Technology, 2024) Womack, Anna Johanna Catharina; Orton, PenelopeThe effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the issue of gender inequality in the labour market in relation to greater risks of unemployment and financial vulnerability. The shift to remote work altered responsibilities for domestic labour among partnered couples and single parents, as did the impact of closed schools, child care centres, and more. Disruptions to economic and social arrangements of South African women were no different than what other women in similar situations experienced in other countries. This study sought to explore the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women, with respect to employment, work-life balance and family responsibilities. A qualitative study within a constructivist paradigm, with a multisite, instrumental case study design was used. Data were collected from participants using both a survey questionnaire and a structured interview. A sample size of 172 was sought for the questionnaire and 26 qualitative interviews were conducted guided by data saturation. Quantitative questionnaire data were analysed using SPSS (version 27) for descriptive and inferential statistics. Thematic analysis of the qualitative interviews was done using NVIVO for coding and categorising. Black women, particularly from the informal sector, were found to be more adversely affected than those in formal employment by the COVID-19 pandemic. This study contributes to understanding the effects the COVID-19 pandemic had on women’s employment, work-life balance and family responsibilities.Item Women participation in decision-making in Agroforestry in Umvoti Municipality(2023-08) Masuku, Sipho Sikhumbuzo; Fagbadebo, Omololu Michael; Dorasamy, NirmalaThe study investigated the extent to which women in Umvoti Municipality participate in decision-making in Agroforestry. The study focuses on women’s participation in the decision-making in AF in Umvoti Municipality. Its purpose was to explore what was happening intending to improve the participation of women in the decision-making in AF. The study adopted a qualitative approach, which was followed by the data generation, carried out from February 2019 to July 2020, where a sample of thirty-six (36) black women participants were randomly and purposely selected from six different wards. The selected wards were Shane, Ntembisweni, Matimatolo, Mbulwane, Enseleni and Nhlalakahle covering approximately 60% of Umvoti Municipality's total population. The survey was based on women who were participating in AF but experiencing exclusion from decision-making and their willingness to participate in the survey exercise. Twenty (20) women participants were selected for observation and focus group discussions and sixteen (16) women participants were selected for individual interviews. Data were generated from six wards. A semi-structured questionnaire was developed to capture the data on the socio-economic status of participants and to identify their extent of participation in decision-making in AF. The semi structured questionnaire consisted of socio-economic information like age, educational status, number of family members and income generation. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data generated from different selected women participants. The data generated and analysed from participants reflected that the highest proportion of the women had a high level of participation in AF practices. Further, some women had medium and low levels of participation. The highest proportion of women who participated in AF practices were those that realized the importance and benefits of AF practices and considered AF practices as the sole manner to sustain their households' livelihood, hence Umvoti women have no other option except AF practices. The study revealed that the women’s income generated from other resources is frequently spent on their household activities. Consequently, marketing of harvested AF products, children's education, household chores and childcare, work distribution, protection and management of livestock were identified as the potential sources of women’s income. Further, the study realised that women played substantial activities in fulfilling their household’s family needs by involving themselves in various job activities. Thus, the introduced AF components preferred by women must be practiced sustainably to generate higher benefits to empower women, and their contribution to AF should be encouraged. The existing empirical evidence on the degree to which women participate in AF decision-making, reveals that women comprise about 43% of the AF labour force worldwide and proceed to increase by 44,2% with a contribution of about 2 % growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in developing countries.Item Magazines’ representation of women and its influence on identity construction : a South African perspective(MCSER Publishing, 2014-09) Govender, Nereshnee; Rawjee, Veena P.; Govender, Jeevarathnam ParthasarathySouth Africa is now in its third decade of democracy and is characterised by a social and political dispensation based on the principles of freedom of expression, non-racialism and non-sexism. These values ought to be entrenched in all aspects of our society and likewise, in the media we consume. Media is a powerful tool and through its representation contributes significantly to the definition of the world around us, and thereby also to the definition of ourselves. One such area that the media influence is the way women are represented. The media takes on an interpretative role and teaches us how to ‘make sense’ of the world and therefore consistently privilege some issues and identities while devaluing others. The media landscape in South Africa is large, complex, robust and mature and arguably, ranks among the largest in Africa. Magazines in particular, are modern and are popular cultural forms of representation. They are one of the most influential forces in South African culture today. The aim of this paper is to explore the representation of women in magazines and the extent of how this representation influences gender identity in either empowering or limiting the development of women in society. It employs a qualitative research methodology to examine content of selected articles in South Africa’s two leading weekly magazines namely DRUM and YOU. Content analysis was used to analyse specific categories of text collected from these magazines. Overall findings reveal that stereotypical, dismissive and confining representations of women prevail in magazine media content. Creating and sustaining change must involve challenging this media content to not only increase the type of coverage of women but to extend the range of diversity to include coverage a range of stories about women including achievements and success stories of women.Item The effectiveness of gender equity policies in higher education : the case of the Durban University of Technology(Kamla-Raj, 2016) Awung, Mabel; Dorasamy, NirmalaRecent research has shown that despite the progress women have made in the workplace, they still lag behind in terms of higher level and rewarding positions. This situation is attributable to the policies that do not meet the needs of female employees. This paper therefore seeks to examine the effectiveness of gender equity policies in advancing the careers of women in higher education, using the Durban University of Technology as a case study. A mixed method design was adopted in which a sample of 250 women was drawn from academic and administrative units using stratified random sampling. A questionnaire was used to collect data, which was analyzed in order to highlight the factors influencing the career progression of women in higher education. The findings revealed that more policies need to be designed and effectively monitored in order to improve the working conditions of women in higher education.Item Magazines’ representation of women and Its influence on identity construction: a South African perspective(MCSER, 2014) Govender, Nereshnee; Rawjee, Veena P.; Govender, Jeevarathnam ParthasarathySouth Africa is now in its third decade of democracy and is characterised by a social and political dispensation based on the principles of freedom of expression, non-racialism and non-sexism. These values ought to be entrenched in all aspects of our society and likewise, in the media we consume. Media is a powerful tool and through its representation contributes significantly to the definition of the world around us, and thereby also to the definition of ourselves. One such area that the media influence is the way women are represented. The media takes on an interpretative role and teaches us how to ‘make sense’ of the world and therefore consistently privilege some issues and identities while devaluing others. The media landscape in South Africa is large, complex, robust and mature and arguably, ranks among the largest in Africa. Magazines in particular, are modern and are popular cultural forms of representation. They are one of the most influential forces in South African culture today. The aim of this paper is to explore the representation of women in magazines and the extent of how this representation influences gender identity in either empowering or limiting the development of women in society. It employs a qualitative research methodology to examine content of selected articles in South Africa’s two leading weekly magazines namely DRUM and YOU. Content analysis was used to analyse specific categories of text collected from these magazines. Overall findings reveal that stereotypical, dismissive and confining representations of women prevail in magazine media content. Creating and sustaining change must involve challenging this media content to not only increase the type of coverage of women but to extend the range of diversity to include coverage a range of stories about women including achievements and success stories of women.