Magister Philosophiae - MPhil (Women and Gender Studies)

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Browsing by Author "Clowes, Lindsay"

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    An exploration of women's experiences in senior management in the petroleum industry South Africa
    (University of the Western Cape, 2017) Nefdt, Anthea Carol; Clowes, Lindsay
    There are relatively few women in senior leadership or management positions in South African industry. The oil industry is no exception to this and could in fact be considered to exemplify the ways in which women are marginalised. This small-scale qualitative project aims to explore challenges and experiences women face when entering senior management positions in the Petroleum Industry in Cape Town. The main objective of the study is to explore how gender (and other relevant subject positions) impacts on women's career development and opportunities. I used a qualitative feminist methodological framework and conducted a total of 12 semi-structured interviews with women employed in upper management positions in the 8 oil companies in the greater Western Cape area including the South African Petroleum Industry Association and Department of Energy (SAPIA). A thematic data analysis was then utilised to interpret the data. My findings show that many women perceive the route to success as difficult yet possible suggesting that the popular ''glass ceiling'' conceptual scheme should be replaced by the ''labyrinth of leadership'' model discussed in Early and Carli 2007 with relation to the oil industry. Further findings suggest that although the oil industry provides unique challenges to women as a gendered organization, it also incorporates various progressive initiatives for their advancement.
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    An exploratory study of women's experiences and place in the church: a case study of a parish in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA), diocese of Cape Town
    (University of the Western Cape, 2006) Sparrow, Isabel; Clowes, Lindsay; Ryan, Mary; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of Arts
    This mini-thesis is a small-scale exploratory case study into the experiences of eight mature women members of a particular parish in the Church of the Province of Southern Africa (CPSA) situated in the Diocese of Cape Town. Using qualitative feminist research methodologies, this study sets out to explore how this group of non-ordained women perceives their roles in the church structure. The study examines what initially attracted the participants to this parish and what motivates them, despite the challenges, to continue performing their voluntary licensed and unlicensed roles in the church. It then goes on to consider the contradictory ways in which their roles as individuals, gendered as women, serve to simultaneously reinforce and challenge the patriarchy of the church. In this respect the participants often held conflicting views within themselves, thus demonstrating the complexities surrounding such issues. Upon reflection the researcher acknowledges that, similar to the participants, she also holds contradictory views on some of these issues. The research therefore identifies and explores three main themes in this regard, firstly the reasons why women originally joined the parish church, secondly the ways in which these women are active in the church and lastly the ways in which women’s activities simultaneously challenge and reinforce the patriarchy and continued male domination of church.
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    Gender and small-scale enterprises following economic reforms: a case study of Dar-Es-Salaam
    (University of the Western Cape, 2002) Iddi Mangi, Namini Scholasticka; Clowes, Lindsay
    This study is about Gender and small-scale enterprises following recent economic reforms in Tanzania. It deals with a case study of women entrepreneurs in Dar-es- Salaam, focusing on their prospects and problems, and the mechanisms they use to survive in a competitive free market. There is concern among policy analysts and gender activists that the economic reforms have negatively affected women entrepreneurs more than their male counterparts (Tibaijuka, 1992). However, these concerns have not yet been substantiated through detailed empirical evidence. The findings of my study reveal that it is a combination of factors which lead women entrepreneurs to establish small-scale enterprises. These motivating reasons are to fulfil the needs of their families such as school fees of their children. Similarly, Tanzanian women entrepreneurs start a small business so as to supplement their insufficient incomes, achieve independence and as a substitute to paid employment. However, they experience a variety of problems, such as the lack of business premises, high rental costs at commercial areas, competition, lack of start-up and working capital from banks and micro-financial institutions, lack of information, and bureaucracy around business licenses. Women entrepreneurs have developed various tactics to handle such difficulties they encounter in their businesses. These are: locating their enterprises in near or around their homes, employing relatives and other people, charging competitive and differentiated prices, diversifying their businesses, working for extra hours, and establishing informal credit associations. The recommendations are: the government should clarify and shorten the procedures of licenses and business premises acquisition, provide more commercial areas with cheaper rentals. Similarly, the government should be sympathetic towards women when it formulates and implements its developmental policies, women should be informed about available training opportunities. Future studies should investigate a larger sample of women entrepreneurs in small-scale enterprises involved in other sectors using the feminist research methods.
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    Women Parliamentarians perceptions of political influence in the South African Parliament
    (University of the Western Cape, 2006) Angevine, Sara; Clowes, Lindsay; Women and Gender Studies; Faculty of Arts
    In this study, I examine how women Parliamentarians understand their political influence within the South African Parliament and what environmental factors contribute to this understanding. Currently, South Africa is a global leader for the amount of women in Parliament and has been since the 1994 democratic transition. This study examines the formal and informal factors that South African women parliamentarians discuss as helping and hindering their political effectiveness.Aside from the work of Hassim (2003) and Pandor (1999), little academic research explores the experiences of women within South Africa’s Parliament. Considering this lack of research regarding women’s experiences within government, I selected a research method that would allow an open space for communication: semi-structured interviews with a qualitative feminist analysis. This study explores the opportunities and obstacles that the women perceived as affecting their political influence.The participant’s responses indicate that they perceive a high level of political influence, with some reservations. Four themes emerged as the leading environmental factors in contributing to the participant’s political efficacy: the 1994 democratic transition, the Parliament structure (formal and informal), the political party, and the role of gender.The informal structures of Parliament, such as socializing spaces, and gender stereotypes, such as the responsibility of women Parliamentarians for ‘women’s issues’, were discussed as the primary obstacles that hinder the women Parliamentarian’political influence.The participants felt that the attitudes of political parties regarding women’s role in Parliament was critical in facilitating their influence on the political agenda. The women Parliamentarians credited primarily the African National Congress (ANC) political party for framing and developing an atmosphere that mandated women’s strong participation in government and their positive perceptions of political influence.