The South African mining industry has been a male dominated environment for a very long time. With changes in government policy and legislation, discriminatory laws forbidding women to work underground have been repealed and the mining industry have since been trying to accommodate women. Unfortunately there is an imbalance to this general trend of increase shown by the consistently low numbers of female employees within the mining industry. It was far-fetched for management to perceive that women can ever play a role in the underground mining industry. Unfortunately the perceptions of management is having an enormous impact on the attitudes of the rest of the employees in this industry. This leads to discrimination in the mining industry that will make it difficult for the women seeking financial stability. The whole mining industry should learn to adapt to this idea of women in mining. Employing women in the mine is a challenge of the mindset of viewing mining as a men's world. The objective of this research was to determine the experience of women in the platinum mining industry in South Africa as well as the impact that women entering the mining industry could have on the mines in terms of the working conditions, harassment, physiological aspects, ergonomics, physical strength, discrimination etc. The research method for this article consists of a brief literature review and an empirical study. A qualitative design has been used on an availability sample (N = 14) females in the platinum mining industry. The qualitative research makes it possible to determine the subjective experience of women working in the platinum mining industry. The literature focused on previous research on the experience of women entering the mining industry as an employee. vii The outcome of this research was that the male worker attitude and discrimination have an enormous impact on women that are entering the mining industry. One of the more difficult hurdles to overcome is the harassment that women need to deal with The women are also facing a huge challenge in terms of their physical strength not being adequate in order to perform up to a minimum of eight hours per day in the harsh working conditions including the ergonomics of the mining industry. Most of the women are entering the mining industry for financial reasons in order to survive in the South f i c a n Economic environment of today. After a hard day performing these physical activities they need to face their responsibilities at home in order to manage a work-home life balance. Management need to start seeking solutions to make the mining industry a more women free environment for example focussing on facilities for women. The fact that women were appointed into the mining environment covering traditionally male sectors, also speaks to a commitment to changing the face of the mining industry. Recommendations for future research were made. / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2005.

[pt] Essa dissertação tem como objetivo estimar os efeitos da legislação de licença maternidade sobre os salários e o emprego da mulher no Brasil. Para tanto, analisamos os impactos da elevação do período de licença, que passou de 12 semanas para 120 dias, proporcionada pela Constituição Federal de 1988. O efeito da legislação é ambíguo a priori. É de se esperar que a licença tenha efeitos negativos na medida em que eleve o custo dos empregadores. Por outro lado, a legislação pode ter efeitos positivos ao evitar que as mulheres se retirem do mercado de trabalho cada vez que tenham um filho, preservando o capital humano específico à empresa acumulado dessas trabalhadoras. Utilizamos uma simples metodologia de diferenças em diferenças com base em dados da Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego entre 1986 e 1991. Os resultados mostram que a licença não teve impactos significantes sobre salários, o que reforça a idéia de que a legislação sobre licença maternidade não impõe altos custos aos empregadores. Também não foram encontrados indícios de que a licença tenha elevado a retenção das mulheres no mercado de trabalho, mesmo no caso das trabalhadoras mais educadas. Os resultados da licença sobre emprego também foram insignificantes. / [en] This dissertation aims to estimate the effects of maternity leave legislation in women´s wages and employment in Brazil. Therefore, we analyze the impacts of an increase in the leave period, which was raised from 12 weeks to 120 days, due to the Federal Constitution of 1998. The effect of the legislation is ambiguous a priori. One should expect that the leave would have negative effects to the extent that it raises the cost to the employers. On the other hand, the legislation can have positive effects if it avoids that women leave the labor market each time they have a child, thereat, increasing the firm-specific human capital of those workers. We utilize a simple difference in differences methodology with data form Pesquisa Mensal de Emprego between 1986 and 1991. The results show that the leave increase had no significant impact, which reinforces the conclusion that the maternity leave legislation does not impose higher costs to the employer. We also find no signs that the leave had raised women´s retention on the labor market, even in the case for the more educated female workers. The results also show insignificant impact in women´s employment.

Submitted by Raphael dos Santos (rdsantos@id.uff.br) on 2017-07-06T19:46:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Raphael_bib.pdf: 728939 bytes, checksum: 3e338c45a911c473f53ccef8dece975b (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Marcia Bacha (marcia.bacha@fgv.br) on 2017-07-06T20:13:10Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Raphael_bib.pdf: 728939 bytes, checksum: 3e338c45a911c473f53ccef8dece975b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-06T20:13:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertacao_Raphael_bib.pdf: 728939 bytes, checksum: 3e338c45a911c473f53ccef8dece975b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-03-30 / This paper investigates possible effects of maternity leave extension from 120 to 180 days in Brazil on labor market participation of mothers. In order to do so, we explore changes in leave taking rules between January 2007 and December 2009 affecting public sector workers in a RD design. Using administrative data we are able to measure maternal employment outcomes. Results suggests there was no impact of extension on maternal employment one year after leave or at the time of the child's school enrollment. However eligibility for maternity leave extension increase maternal employment by 2 percentage points on maternal employment one year after childbirth for high income mothers. Preliminary findings indicate indicate no effect of leave extension on school enrollment by age 6.

The aim of this thesis is to characterize the evolution of women´s employment and unemployment in the labor market in South region of Czech Republic and find out what are the conditions for the women´s admission to occupation, particularly after maternity leave. For this purpose I examined the necessary information from the Czech Statistical Office and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Then I prepared the questionnaire concerning the issue. My aim was to explore the labor market situation and verify that it is very difficult to manage currently maternal responsibilities and job.

This thesis focuses on the welfare system of women during maternity and parental leave, primarily for specific benefits, which are in maternity and parenthood provided. System of state social support to women subject to conditions childbirth, child benefits and parental pay. For the childbirth, the work highlights specific situations that may arise in life. They are taking a child into permanent parental care, surrogate motherhood and the death of a child. For child benefits is given consideration above its level and subsequently at the parental pay instance of fraudulent conduct involving the unauthorized receipt of benefits or readers are informed on the progress of the amendment to the law on state social support. Sickness insurance system is provided benefit maternity pay, for example, which analysed the possible claim women on maternity benefits in specific situations (pregnant student, pregnant person exercising custodial sentence, etc.). For each benefit is each explained the general conditions for entitlement to, and also its amount. Although the work is devoted mainly to women, and a separate section of this paper deals with the men and their opportunities to take the place of women and care for the child. Of course it mentioned welfare system in this period. Even though the work is mainly...

Although participation of Canadian women in the labour force has significantly increased in the past decade, and in turn the number of maternity leave claims, information is limited on actual employment behavior following maternity leave and the factors which influence this behavior. The purpose of this study was to examine the employment behavior following maternity leave for 313 women of varying occupations from a large metropolitan hospital in order to: isolate significant variables which influence this behavior, examine return rates and employment patterns for women who return to work, identify the major problems women experience upon their return to work, examine the experience of women with the current maternity leave legislation, obtain their opinions on whether flexible work policies encourage staff retention and finally, to develop a set of recommendations to assist organizations in achieving staff retention following maternity leave. Data respecting the positions of the women, their personal characteristics and their employment behavior following their leave were collected from personnel records. The dependent variables for the study were three distinct types of employment behavior: employees who terminated following their maternity leave, employees who terminated following their return to work and employees who remained employed at the hospital. There were nine independent variables which were tested as potential employment behavior influences namely level of education, age, organizational tenure, employment status, union/management affiliation, salary level, occupational level, number of previous maternity leaves and organizational division. The Chi Square test of Independence was run for six variables and the One Way Analysis of Variance for three variables. In-depth structured interviews were conducted with five women selected randomly from the sample in order to identify the major problems they encountered in returning to work as well as to obtain their opinions on the current maternity leave legislation. They were also questioned regarding the effectiveness of flexible work policies. Two of the variables tested were found to be significant employment behavior influences: type of union and organizational tenure. It was also found that the least flexible union had the highest termination rate. Although the majority of women returned to work and remained employed at the hospital, a high percentage transferred to part-time and casual employment. The interviews revealed that the major concerns women had were the need for more flexible work policies, an increase in part-time opportunities and child-care concerns including the need for on-site day care. All of the women interviewed felt that 18 weeks was an inadequate length of time for a maternity leave and some of the women wanted maternity benefits for their entire leave and not just 15 weeks. It was concluded from the results of the study that flexible work policies and organizational support systems encourage staff retention following maternity leave, it was recommended that in order for organizations to achieve staff retention following maternity leave that they must introduce flexible work policies and a specific staff retention plan. / Business, Sauder School of / Graduate

Contexte et objectifs : Le taux d’activité des femmes a augmenté régulièrement depuis les années 1970 et les femmes sont de plus en plus souvent en emploi au moment où elles vont avoir une grossesse. Ce travail a pour principal objectif de décrire et comprendre les liens entre l’activité professionnelle et la grossesse. Tout d’abord, en comparant les taux d’activité professionnelle selon que les femmes sont enceintes ou appartiennent à la population féminine générale. Dans un second temps, en observant comment le groupe professionnel et le statut de l’emploi occupé influencent le moment de l’arrêt de travail pendant la grossesse. Enfin la troisième partie analyse l’impact de la position sociale, définie d’abord par le statut d’emploi des femmes et prenant en compte leur situation de couple et l’emploi du partenaire, sur la surveillance pendant la grossesse et les issues périnatales.Méthodes et population : Les données ont été extraites des Enquêtes Périnatales Nationales (ENP) en 1972, 1981, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010 et 2016 et des données du recensement Une comparaison de l’activité professionnelle des femmes enceintes et de la population générale des femmes en France métropolitaine en fonction de l’âge et du niveau d’études, a été effectuée. Une modélisation de l’activité professionnelle pendant la grossesse en fonction des caractéristiques sociodémographiques, de la période entre 1972 et 2016 et de la génération de naissance, a été réalisée. Une analyse des femmes qui travaillaient pendant la grossesse en 2010 et en 2016 a été menée pour déterminer les moments de l’arrêt de l’activité professionnelle au cours de la grossesse, selon la situation médicale et la position sociale des femmes, en s’intéressant à l’arrêt précoce, avant 24 semaines d’aménorrhée (SA), et à l’arrêt tardif, après 36 SA révolues. Une analyse entre 1995 et 2016 a permis de décrire la surveillance prénatale et les issues périnatales en fonction du statut d'emploi des femmes et de leur partenaire pendant la grossesse.Résultats : Comme dans la population générale, le taux d’emploi des femmes enceintes a augmenté régulièrement entre 1972 et 2016, de 53 à 74 %. En 2016, 32 % des femmes qui travaillent pendant la grossesse se sont arrêtées avant 24 SA, et 2 % après 37 SA. Il existe des inégalités sociales autour des arrêts de l’activité professionnelle: les femmes ayant les situations sociales les plus défavorables s’arrêtent précocement pendant leur grossesse, alors que les femmes qui s’arrêtent tardivement ont des situations socioprofessionnelles plus favorisées, quelle que soit leur situation médicale. Entre 1995 et 2016, les différences selon la position sociale des femmes enceintes observées pour la surveillance prénatale et les issues périnatales se réduisent mais persistent.Conclusion : Les transformations majeures du rapport à l’emploi des femmes au cours des dernières décennies peuvent modifier les pratiques des soignants prenant en charge les femmes enceintes. La majorité des femmes enceintes sont des femmes en emploi rémunéré et la discussion de l’arrêt de l’activité professionnelle au cours de la grossesse doit s’évaluer au regard de la situation médicale mais aussi de la situation sociale et professionnelle. Une attention particulière doit être portée aux femmes plus défavorisées, soit au chômage ou sans activité professionnelle déclarée, soit ayant une situation précaire dans l’emploi, car ces femmes ont une initiation des soins plus tardive et des issues périnatales plus défavorables que les femmes qui travaillent avec une position sociale plus favorisée. / Background and objectives: The occupational activity rate of women is steadily increasing since the 1970s, and women are more and more often in employment when they are in childbearing age. The main purpose of this work is to describe and understand the links between occupational activity and pregnancy. First, by comparing employment rates according to whether women are pregnant or belong to the female general population. In a second step, by observing how their occupational group and status is linked to the timing of prenatal leave. Finally, the third part analyzes the impact of the social position, defined by the employment status of women and taking into account their couple status and the employment of the partner, on the antenatal care and perinatal outcomes.Methods and population: The data were extracted from the French National Perinatal Surveys of 1972, 1981, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010 and 2016 and the Census. A comparison of the employment rate of pregnant women and the general population of women in continental France, by age and level of education, was carried out. A modelization of the employment rate of women during pregnancy was realized according to the socio-demographic characteristics, the survey period from 1972 to 2016, and the birth generation. An analysis of women working during pregnancy in 2010 and 2016 was conducted to determine the time of prenatal leave, according to the medical situation and the social position of women, focused on early leave, before 24 weeks of gestation (WG), and late leave, after 36 WG. For the period 1995 to 2016, prenatal care and perinatal outcomes were analyzed according to the employment status of women, taking into account their couple situation and partner’s employment.Results: As in the general population, rate of occupational activity of pregnant women shown a steadily increasing, between 1972 and 2016, from 53% to 74%. In 2016, 32% of women working during pregnancy leave their job before 24 WG, and 2% after 37 WG. Social inequalities exists around maternity leave: women with the most unfavorable social situations stop early, while self-employed women and those with more favorable social and occupational situations leave late, even after stratification for the medical situation. From 1995 to 2016, the differences in antenatal care and perinatal outcomes according to the social position of pregnant women are always observed despite a reduction.Conclusion: The major changes in the relationship to women's occupational activity in recent decades may change the practices of caregivers for pregnant women. A majority of pregnant women had a paid job and the date of prenatal leave should be discussed in relation to the medical situation but also considering the social and occupational status. Special attention should be given to the most disadvantaged women, either unemployed or without a legal job, or having a precarious occupational situation, since these women have a later initiation of care and more unfavorable perinatal outcomes.

In contemporary politics it is argued there exists a friction and contradiction between the right-wing, conservative parties that are gaining prominence around the world, among them BJP in India, and the feminist movement; one movement striving for the preservation of traditions and the other for change. The purpose of this thesis is to investigate and compare differences in how a political party with strong affiliation and background in a nationalistic ideology communicates laws which affect women’s opportunities for societal advancement, doing this by analysing the religious, cultural and symbolic aspects of Hindutva ideology. Do they contradict each other? Through qualitative discourse analysis a comparative case study is performed on the Maternity Benefit Amendment Act of 2017, BJP political manifestos, excerpts from books and statements made by BJP leaders and affiliated key persons. The thesis presents the argument that the two discourses present contradicting ideas of women’s societal participation when analysed through a theoretical framework based on gender ideals; one set of material pointing to the importance of their economic and societal integration, and one on the importance of women’s role as mothers, and her protection. The study adds a different perspective on the friction between nationalistic Hindutva beliefs and contemporary, progressive legislation by analysing key concepts of gender ideals drawn from Hinduism and the Hindutva movement.

This thesis is focused on the integration of women after maternity and parental leave into the labour market. It is concerned with the specifics of women's employment, an important area of harmonization personal and professional life and finally facilities for children up to 6 years. In the theoretical part I outlined exactly these findings and compared with the situation abroad. The following section described the empirical research methods and interviews with mothers with children, questionnaires with workers of contact offices of the Labour Office and questionnaires with workers of the Directorate of Labour Office. In this section there is also an analysis of the findings and the final interpretation of the results. In the discussion I introduced the concluding observations in the context of the writers mentioned in the theoretical part and suggestions for improvements. In conclusion, I summarized my entire work and evaluated achievement of goals. Key words Unemployment - Labour market - Women's employment - Maternity and Parental leave

The possibility to earn a living and support a family independently is still a utopia for many women all around the world. Many organizations are constantly fighting for awareness of these issues and strive for an improvement in women’s economic equality. One of these organizations is the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) which in its preamble acknowledges that "discrimination violates the principles of equality of rights and respect for human dignity".By the tenth anniversary of the CEDAW, almost one hundred nations have agreed to be bound by its provision. Some governments have achieved their goals by replacing discriminatory laws and policies in order to guarantee gender equality. Others have even gone the extra mile by promoting legislation which in turn would make it easier for women to be able to develop their careers. For instance, some have provided longer maternity leave, and in a few exceptional cases, some others gave the possibility of joint parental leave, creating a co-responsibility between men and women. Nevertheless, some governments have not done enough to balance the gender gap. Some even keep discriminatory laws on the books despite having come to powerlifting the flag of social justice and gender equality. This has been the case of many of the so-called “Pink Tide governments” that ruled in the majority of South America during the first two decades of the 21st century. Despite the left turn of these governments, women in the region are still exposed to segregation and jobs with lower status or a lower payment. This paper focuses on this particular period of South American political history, with a focus on the government policies issued to fight the increasing gender gap on women's economic participation and opportunities. In order to account for the actions taken by these governments towards gender equality policies, we will analyze the maternity and parental leave laws implemented during this period, as we understand that women’s social and economic rights are closely related to their status and conditions at work. Finally, we argue that in this case, the color pink has not been representing women in Latin America.