This study was a qualitative exploration of women’s work – life balance over the life course in retail management. Ten women who worked in the centre management of a mall in Durban were interviewed between June 2011 and August 2011. Through the use of thematic analysis, five themes were identified. These themes are: (a) the integration of work and life roles (b) the career as a learning process which is personally meaningful, (c) the retail industry and people dynamics (d) the value of time and (f) perceived autonomy among options for work and life development. The experiences of the participants were integrated with literature to arrive at an in depth understanding of the experiences of women’s work- life balance within retail. The findings suggest that work-life balance within retail is perceived as a subjective, continuous experience which changes over time. Moreover, there is integration of work and life roles. The study contributes to the evolving body of knowledge on work-life balance of women within the retail sector; it also provides a unique context specific perspective to the understanding of work- life balance. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.

A democratic ―tsunami‖ is moving around the world, nations are embracing democracy which brings power to the people and enables their voices to be heard. South Africa has one of the most progressive Constitutions in the world which contains the Bill of Rights where equality is preached. The Grant Thornton International Business Report on Women in Management (2012) rightly concludes that women occupy only 21% of top managerial positions, worldwide. In South Africa, women occupy only 28%, which is slightly more than the international average. In light of the above information, this study looks at women‘s representation in business, with special emphasis on the challenges faced by women at top management level in public enterprises in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. The inference deduced from the above statistics unveils that women are underrepresented at top management level. Several authors have viewed the challenges faced by women in top level managerial positions from different perspectives and the core challenges this study has identified are as follows: the ‗glass ceiling‘; balancing work and family responsibilities; organisational culture; human resource policies; politics of power and the ‗Queen Bee Syndrome‘. This study has unveiled a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by women employed in top level managerial positions, useful in enabling women at this level to overcome their challenges and thereby assist them to function to their utmost capacity, while at the same time attempting to increase women‘s representation at top management level. The researcher adopted a mixed method of data collection in carrying out this study. In-depth interviews were carried out with respondents; the insight gained in these interviews assisted the researcher to carry out further telephonic interviews with other respondents and lastly; questionnaires were employed to complement other sources of data collection in the study. These findings of the study show that the ills of Apartheid could be responsible for the lack of self-confidence of black women holding top level managerial positions. In the researcher‘s point of view, the Bantu system of education did not provide a sound foundation of quality education for the black women of Pietermaritzburg. In conclusion, the thesis argues that, since women constitute a significant proportion of the economically active population in South Africa, it is fair only that they should be equitably represented at top managerial level. To achieve this goal, the study proffered a recommendation which has managerial benefits that may assist in accelerating and increasing women‘s representation at top management level. / Thesis (M.Com.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2013.

Since its emergence as the ruling party in 1994, when South Africa became a democratic country, the African National Congress has legislated and implemented a number of policies that are aimed at redressing the historical imbalances of the past caused by the Apartheid system. The Constitution of South Africa provides for the equality of men and women as a basic human right. The South African Employment Equity Act (1998) was introduced as a way of assisting the process of achieving equality and fairness in the employment practices of government, business and other sectors in South Africa. Scholars such as Merilee Grindle have argued that for a policy to succeed many things need to be considered such as the internal and external environment in which the implementation is to occur. There has also got to be a buy-in from the relevant stakeholders as policy implementation can be influenced by the implementer’s own belief system. Factors such as one’s upbringing, religion, race, class and culture can all impact on workplace practices. Through face to face interviews with the people who are the intended beneficiaries of this policy, this study moves away from looking at the statistics that have previously been the sole analysis of the implementation of the Employment Equity Act (EEA) to look at historical, political and cultural influences on the application of the EEA. In particular this study attempts to interrogate whether cultural factors play a role or impact on the way the EEA is being implemented within a government department using the KwaZulu Natal Department of Economic Development as a case study. The obvious reason for focusing on culture is that one’s cultural background inevitably shapes how an individual views the world and engages with other people. Cultural beliefs and prejudices can also affect a person’s conduct in the workplace. KwaZulu Natal is a province that has a very long history of cultural traditions rooted in a largely patriarchal system, therefore interrogating this topic within this province is highly appropriate. The responses of the participants will reflect the views of mostly women in management positions. From these perspectives the study will reflect on the degree to which culture does play a role in the implementation of the EEA in this particular case study. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2011.