In the 1990s nationally representative and detailed household survey data became available for the first time in South Africa, opening up opportunities to examine some of the key movements in the labour market especially. This thesis investigates one of these: the continued and dramatic rise in female labour force participation that has occurred in post-apartheid South Africa over the period 1995 to 2001. The rise in women's participation, also referred to as the 'feminisation' of the labour market, is a phenomenon that has been observed and analysed in many countries around the world, and yet has remained largely undocumented in South Africa. The 'feminisation' that has been recorded in the international literature generally refers to the rise in women's share of the labour force coupled with a rise in women's share of employment. What is striking in the South African case, however, is that over the period under review here regular employment opportunities in the formal sector of the economy have been indisputably limited, and yet female labour force participation has continued to increase. The increase in participation has translated mainly into a rise in unemployment and in generally low-paying forms of self-employment in the informal sector. This raises the question why so many more women chose to enter the labour market over this period in spite of their dismal prospects, a question that is explored as far as possible in this study given the constraints imposed by the data available. This thesis is presented in three main parts. The first part consists of a review of the economic theory of female labour supply and a review of the international literature on the trends, causes and consequences associated with the rise in female labour force participation over time. The second and largest part of the thesis consists of an empirical analysis of the factors driving the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa. The broad trends in the labour force between 1995 and 2001 are documented, some of the supply-side correlates of labour force participation are explored descriptively, and then the determinants of the rise in female labour force participation in South Africa over this period are tested more thoroughly in a multivariate regression and decomposition analysis. The final part of the study turns to the question of what the rise in female labour force participation has 'bought' women in terms of access to employment and earnings for those women who did have work in the period under review. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

Thesis (MSocialWork)--Stellenbosch University, 2001. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Workers absenteeism is a problem for many companies in South Africa. The absenteeism of workers affects the productivity of companies. The social worker in the industry plays a key role in the managing of workers absenteeism. One of the goals of social work in the industry is to enhance the productivity of workers. Consequently there is a lack of specifically South African research on the social factors that influence worker absenteeism and the role of the social worker to manage worker absenteeism. A survey of international literature forms the starting point for the research undertaken to fill this gap. The influence of social factors on worker absenteeism is described. Three worker absenteeism approaches, namely economical, psigological and sociological approaches are being used to describe the social factors that influence worker absenteeism. The literature view also offers management strategies to help combat worker absenteeism. In the study there is being focused on the female worker because the empirical study takes place at a company that manufactures clothes. The empirical study describes the social factors that influence the absenteeism of female workers working in the manufacturing company. Proposals are made concerning ways to combat worker absenteeism, taking into account the important role the social worker in the industry plays in managing worker absenteeism. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Werknemerafwesigheid is vir baie fabrieke en firmas in Suid-Afrika 'n ernstige probleem. Die werksafwesigheid van werknemers veroorsaak dat die produktiwiteit van fabrieke en firmas beïnvloed word. Die maatskaplike werker in die bedryf kan 'n belangrike rol speel in die hantering van werknemerafwesigheid, omdat dit 'n doelstelling van maatskaplike werk in die bedryf is om die produktiwiteit van werknemers te verhoog. Derhalwe is daar 'n gebrek aan spesifieke Suid-Afrikaanse navorsing oor die maatskaplike faktore wat werknemerafwesigheid beïnvloed, en wat die maatskaplike werker se rol is om werksafwesigheid te beperk. 'n Literatuurstudie word aangebied as vertrekpunt vir die navorsing wat onderneem is om genoemde leemte aan navorsing te vul. Die invloed van maatskaplike faktore op werknemerafwesigheid word bespreek. Drie benaderings tot werknemerafwesigheid, naamlik ekonomiese, sielkundige en sosiologiese benaderings word geondersoek waaronder die maatskaplike faktore wat werknemerafwesigheid beïnvloed, bespreek word. Die literatuuroorsig bied ook bestuurstrategieë om die werksafwesigheid van werknemers te bekamp. Daar word spesifiek op die vroulike werknemer gefokus omdat die empiriese ondersoek by 'n klerevervaardigingsfabriek plaasvind. Die empiriese ondersoek handel oor die maatskaplike faktore wat die werksafwesigheid van vroulike fabriekarbeiders beïnvloed. Na aanleiding van die bevindinge van die ondersoek word aanbevelings vir die hantering van werknemerafwesigheid gemaak. Dit geskied met inagneming van die belangrike rol wat die maatskaplike werker in die bedryf kan speel in die hantering van werknemerafwesigheid.

In this study, the sex-role identities adopted by young, middle-aged, and older working females South African were compared. The rationale of the study is based on changes which occurred within South Africa with regards to gender, race, education, as well as work place participation for women. Two hundred females from two South African organisations participated in the study. Two self-report questionnaires were utilised: a demographic questionnaire and Bem’s Sex-Role Inventory. Data was interpreted statistically, by means of Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and frequencies. Results revealed that younger women have adopted more masculine characteristics than middle-aged and older females. Results further indicated that black women are more likely to reflect sex-role identity changes on age than white women, given that changes in the South African society many have been more impactful on them. Results on the levels of masculinity amongst the younger group of females are consistent with a study done on working females in India.

International studies of part-time employment have shown that most part-time workers are women, and specifically married women (Rosenfeld and Birkelund 1995; Caputo and Cianni 2001). The ability to work part-time enables women who have household commitments, such as caring for children, to maintain an attachment to the labour force and to preserve job skills while also undertaking household labour (Long and Jones 1981; Rosenfeld and Birkelund 1995). In many countries, therefore, the growth in part-time employment has constituted an important component of the increase in women’s work. However, part-time jobs are often considered to be poorly remunerated, offering little or no security, limited opportunities for career advancement and few (if any) benefits (Rosenfeld and Birkelund 1995; Rodgers 2004; Hirsch 2005; Bardasi and Gornick 2008). Although empirical research on South Africa’s labour markets has expanded significantly over the post-apartheid period, particularly with the introduction of nationally representative household surveys that capture individual employment data, little is known about the characteristics of South African part-time workers, or about the nature of the work these individuals perform. Using data from a selection of South Africa’s nationally representative household surveys, namely the October Household Surveys, the Labour Force Surveys and the Labour Force Survey Panel, this thesis aims to redress this lacuna. The thesis comprises four empirical chapters. The first chapter outlines the definition of part-time employment adopted throughout the study, and it presents gendered trends in part-time employment in South Africa from 1995 to 2006. The descriptive analysis shows that most part-time workers in South Africa are women, and further, that the growth in female part-time employment has been an important part of the feminisation of the labour force in South Africa. The second chapter compares part-time and full-time wage (salaried) employment. The main analytical question addressed in this chapter is whether women are penalised for working part-time. Although hourly wages in part-time employment are, on average, lower than in full-time employment, the study demonstrates that after controlling for differences in observable and unobservable characteristics, women in part-time employment receive a wage premium. The third chapter explores heterogeneity among part-time wage workers, distinguishing between women who choose to work part-time and women who report wanting to work longer hours. Key findings of this chapter are that a wage premium persists for women both in voluntary and in involuntary part-time work; but that involuntary part-time workers have a stronger labour force attachment than voluntary part-time workers. The fourth chapter uses the distinction between part-time and full-time employment to investigate changes in the gender wage gap in employment. The results show that the total gender gap in wages among part-time and full-time workers has fallen over the years, with the greatest reduction visible for those working part-time. The final chapter summarises the main findings of the thesis and it outlines avenues for further research on part-time employment in South Africa. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville, 2009. / UKZN Economics department; Economic Research South Africa; UKZN Doctoral Scholarship Award

Thesis (M Consumer Science)--Stellenbosch University, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Clothing is an important phenomenon within corporate and organisational culture and forms an integral part of the total corporate identity. It fulfills a symbolic purpose and serves as a reference. It is a way in which companies can change or modernise their image as it is conveyed to clients. Little research has been done on uniform types of clothing, even though it has been an important phenomenon in the subject area of Clothing for ages. South African companies offers unique opportunities for research within a multi-cultural environment and Consumer Science's distinctive multi-disciplinary approach makes it an ideal starting point for this type of study. Three environments are concerned with the phenomenon of corporate clothing, namely the employers and employees of organisations or companies, academia of educational establishments and the manufacturers of corporate clothing. The study concerned tried to investigate the phenomenon of corporate clothing within the South African corporate environment. This was firstly done by studying the available clothing literature and describing aspects which have direct or indirect relations to corporate clothing. Information and advice was obtained from experts to gain insight into the South African circumstances with relation to corporate clothing. Secondly, employees who wear corporate clothing were questioned as to their opinions on specific aspects with regards to corporate clothing. This was done by means of a questionnaire which was developed to determine if employees of selected South African companies see corporate clothing as representative of company image, culture and policy. The extent to which extent employees are involved in decision-making processes with regards to corporate clothing was also determined. Employees' opinions with regards to consumer requirements and the extent of satisfaction with corporate clothing was determined. The extent to which age and position within the company playa role in employees' opinions of corporate clothing were investigated according to the information obtained through the questionnaire. The above mentioned information was structured to give possible guidelines to companies with in the implimentation and development of corporate clothing within the existing organisational culture. This study did not focus on manufacturers of corporate clothing, but it is assumed that they can benefit from the findings of the study. The study will contribute to the building of theory in the subject area of Clothing and consequently also contribute to the academical field. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Korporatiewe kleredrag is 'n belangrike fenomeen binne die korporatiewe en organisatoriese kultuur en vorm 'n integrale deel van algehele korporatiewe identiteit. Dit vervul 'n simboliese rol en dien as 'n verwysingsmaatstaf. Dit is 'n manier waarop maatskappye hul beeld aan kliënte kan verander of moderniseer. Alhoewel uniforme drag reeds vir eeue 'n belangrike fenomeen in kleredrag is, is daar steeds min aandag in navorsing aan hierdie onderwerp geskenk. Suid- Afrikaanse maatskappye bied unieke geleenthede vir navorsing binne 'n multi-kulturele omgewing en Verbruikerswetenskap se eiesoortige multi-dissiplinêre benadering maak dit by uitstek geskik as vertrekpunt vir hierdie tipe studie. Drie omgewings het belang by die fenomeen van korporatiewe drag, naamlik die werkgewers en - nemers van organisasies of maatskappye, akademici van opvoedkundige instellings en die vervaardigers van korporatiewe drag. Die betrokke studie het gepoog om op 'n verkennende wyse ondersoek in te stel na die fenomeen van korporatiewe drag binne die Suid-Afrikaanse korporatiewe omgewing. Dit is gedoen deur eerstens beskikbare kledingliteratuur te bestudeer en sodoende aspekte te beskryf wat direk en indirek betrekking het op korporatiewe drag. Inligting en advies is vanaf kundiges ingewin om insig in dié verband in die Suid-Afrikaanse omstandighede te verkry. Tweedens is werknemers wat korporatiewe drag dra, se menings oor spesifieke aspekte met betrekking tot korporatiewe drag vasgestel. Vir hierdie doel is 'n vraelys ontwikkel om vas te stel of die werknemers van geselekteerde Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappye korporatiewe drag sien as verteenwoordigend van maatskappybeeld, -kultuur en -beleid. Daar is ook vasgestel in watter mate werknemers betrek word in besluitneming oor korporatiewe drag. Werknemers se menings oor verbruikersvereistes, die mate van tevredenheid met die korporatiewe drag is bepaal. Die mate waartoe ouderdom en posvlak 'n rol speel in werknemers se menings van korporatiewe drag is ook vasgestel met behulp van die inligting verkry uit die vraelyste. Bostaande inligting is gestruktureer om moontlike riglyne aan maatskappye te bied met betrekking tot die invoer of ontwikkeling van korporatiewe drag binne die bestaande organisatoriese kultuur. Daar is nie in hierdie studie gefokus op vervaardigers van korporatiewe drag nie, maar dit word aanvaar dat die groep wel sal kan baat vind by die bevindings. Die studie sal 'n bydrae lewer tot die opbou van teorie in die vakgebied van Kleding en gevolglik ook 'n bydrae tot die akademie lewer.

The study focused on work-family conflict among females occupying lower level jobs. A quantitative research methodology was conducted on a sample of (N=144) females working on the assembly line in two private sector organisations. The research instrument was a questionnaire comprising six parts. The variables were measured under four categories: work-family conflict, job demands, perceived organisational support and job self-efficacy. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse and interpret the data. A comparative study was done between Hesto and Alpha pharmaceutical employees and it was found that Hesto employees experience greater work-family conflict, job demands, perceived organisational support and job self-efficacy. The correlation results of the study showed that a significant negative relationship exists between perceived organisation support and work-family conflict. There was a weak positive relationship between perceived organisational support and job self-efficacy. Work demands was found to be positively and significantly related to work-family conflict. There was a significant negative relationship between perceived organisational support and work demand. A significant negative relationship was found between job self-efficacy and work-family conflict. Based on these results recommendations were made on how South African companies can help reduce work-family conflict.

The role that women play in the economy of any society is a desirable goal for equity and efficiency considerations. Just as with the rest of the world, the South African women lagged behind their male counterparts within the economic empowerment space and in the formal labour force. However, the role of women has undergone some transformations with issues relating to employment opportunities, such that their labour force participation has risen considerably since 1994. The female labour force participation rate is still seen to be persistently lower compared to the male participation rate even in the second decade of democracy. The rate of women labour force participation is even lower than the average. On the other hand, the increases have also been coupled with the rising rate of unemployment among women. The objective of this study was to investigate the determinants of female labour force participation in the South African labour market. The study uses a regression analysis on a cross sectional panel data covering a period of 1995 to 2010. Unlike most popular beliefs, the findings of this study reveal that fertility though not statistically significant, positively influences labour force participation of women. Other variables that are statistically significant in explaining female labour force are HIV/AIDS, marital status, age, household income and education. Race was found to be insignificant in explaining female labour force participation in the South African labour force.

The study aimed to test whether or not Organisational-based Self-Esteem (OBSE) mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and job satisfaction. OBSE was expected to have an impact on Job Satisfaction, whilst Perceived Discrimination was argued to have an effect on OBSE. The study was conducted with a sample of 238 women as previous research indicates women are more likely to experience discrimination in the workplace. Contrary to expectations, the SEM revealed that perceived discrimination did not have a significant impact on job satisfaction. Also, the results obtained suggest that OBSE does not mediate the relationship as there was no significant relationship between perceived discrimination and OBSE. There was evidence that OBSE could be a moderator in the relationship instead. Furthermore, opposing the literature, the results supported the notion of global SE mediating the relationship between perceived discrimination and job satisfaction as it was the only significant path in the SEM. Overall, the study contributed to a body of literature and added value by suggesting that the role of perceived discrimination is underestimated as its impact extend outside of the workplace and may have deeper repercussions.

Dissertation (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.

The research at hand focuses on job satisfaction as a moderator of the relationship between work-family conflict and stress among female civil service managers in the Department of Education in the King William’s Town District. Samples of 100 employees were used in the study. The data was collected by means of a questionnaire which consisted of the following sections: (i) a biographical and occupational data questionnaire,(ii) Eum, Lee, and Paek’s (2007) Effort-Reward Imbalance questionnaire, (iii) Bedenia, Burke, and Moffat’s (1998) Short-form Work-family Conflict questionnaire, and (iv) Halpern’s (1966) Job Satisfaction questionnaire. The data were analyzed by means of Pearson’s Correlation Technique, Multiple Regression Analysis, and Analysis of Variance. The results showed that job satisfaction does not moderate the relationship between work-family conflict and occupational stress. The study also found a significant positive correlation between work-family conflict and occupational stress and between work-family conflict and job satisfaction. It also showed that both work-family conflict and job satisfaction respectively accounted for a significant proportion of variance in occupational stress. The thesis ends with several recommendations for future research and for future professional or managerial practice.