Microfinance programs, by providing financial services to economically disadvantaged individuals, generally women, are intended to help poor self-employ and become financially independent. Earlier research in India has documented both positive and negative consequences of microfinance programs on women, from financial independence to domestic abuse. However, most of the research has been geographically limited to the southern states of the country, with a matured microfinance industry, and has given little attention to how variations in cultural practices across different regions of the country may influence the impact of microfinance programs on its members. To fill the gap in the existing literature, three related studies of Indian women were conducted. The first study was a qualitative study of 35 women engaged in microfinance programs in the northern region of India. The study found that women engaged in microfinance programs reported having increased social networks, higher confidence and increased social awareness. The second and third studies used nationally representative data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) 2005-2006. Controlling for a variety of other individual-level and community-level characteristics, the second study examined if getting a microloan affected women’s access to public spaces, and the third examined if getting such a loan influenced married women’s participation in household decision-making. Both studies further investigated if the microloan effect on these dimensions of women’s empowerment varied by the normative context of woman’s respective communities. The results indicated that, all else equal, women who had ever taken a microloan were more likely to go alone to places outside their home such as market, health clinics and places outside the community compared to women who had never taken such a loan. Getting a microloan also had a positive effect on women’s participation in decisions about large household purchases and husband’s earnings. The hypothesized moderating effect of the normative context of women’s respective communities was found only for women’s participation in decisions about large household purchases. Getting a microloan had a stronger positive effect on women’s participation in these decisions if they lived in communities with restrictive gender norms.

This thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree, Masters of Arts in Sociology in the Faculty of Humanities (School of Social Sciences) at the University of Witwatersrand, 2016 / During the apartheid era, black women were forced into the rural areas to live off the land, without opportunities and choices to allow them to build decent lives for themselves. After many decades of apartheid, South Africa finally became a democratic country in 1994. Following the establishment of democracy in 1994, the South African society experienced quite a number of changes on the economic, social, and political level. Amongst those changes was the rectification of the constitution which recognized all citizens (men and women, black and white) as equal. Numerous acts were put in place to promote equality in all spheres of life. However, to this day, poverty and inequality remain evident on many black women in the country. Microfinance is embraced by many development organizations, states and agencies around the world as the main and efficient form of women’s empowerment. South Africa is also one of the states which have joined the bandwagon, with its Department of Trade and Industry (dti) having various microfinance programmes aimed at empowering women. However, with all the programmes, there seems to be no changes in the situations of black women, especially rural poor women in the country as illustrated by statistics. This paper, therefore, attempts to find out the reason behind the low status of women in post-apartheid South Africa by reviewing critical literature on empowerment and microfinance as an empowerment strategy to understand their impact on women’s lives. The study also analyse the dti’s policy documents on empowerment as one of the state’s institutions which promotes women’s empowerment through microfinance. Furthermore, this study argues that the current women’s empowerment strategy (microfinance) is not for the benefit of poor black women, but for that of the institutions offering these programmes. This argument is supported by an analysis conducted on dti’s women’s empowerment strategic documents and programmes, which was used as a case study for this paper. This study suggests that changes in the designing and implementation of the policies are required. / GR2017

Thesis (MBA.) --University of Limpopo, 2017 / This study drew attention to the influential role the transformational leadership constructs can play in increasing women representation in decision making structures of the Department of Social Development (DSD). The DSD’s Sekhukhune District in Limpopo Province was used as an area of study. The aim of the study was to investigate the significance of transformational leadership in pursuing gender parity in the DSD’s Sekhukhune District. The study followed an exploratory research design and implemented a qualitative methodology. A total of 10 DSD managers were targeted. Furthermore, a purposive sampling was used and interviews were conducted as the method of data collection. The data collected had been analysed thematically. The results revealed that although there have been improvements of more appointed women managers within the organisation. There were still more women managers than men managers within the organisation. However, most men occupy senior management positions while most women occupy the lower managerial positions. Most managers were not inspired to perform more than they were expected giving the reason that, they lack resources and their efforts often go unrecognised. Most managers found political appointment discouraging towards fair promotions. Nevertheless, there were enough women who possess required leadership skills. Conversely, there were no programmes that support women participation and empowerment in issues relating to gender parity. Leadership training, transformational leadership, provision of resources and salary acceleration were common suggestions to pursue gender parity. The study recommends that the DSD Sekhukhune District leadership should adopt and implement transformational leadership, change political appointment, appoint leaders with relevant qualifications, establishing a functional gender mainstreaming office within the DSD Sekhukhune District, adequate budgetary support and specialised training of staff shall assist in closing the gender parity gap.

Thesis (MBA.) -- University of Limpopo, 2017 / This study is an investigation into the significance of transformational leadership and its effect in pursuing gender parity in organisations. The study looked into the processes that are in place and which are aimed at pursuing gender parity at Capricorn District Municipality. It further contended that issues pertaining to gender parity cannot be studied outside the confines of transformation in the organisations. Tyson (2015) argues that transformation in relation to gender parity will take several decades before its fruits are evident in organisations. Therefore, this implies that processes and practices related to transformation, have to be carefully monitored so as to achieve the desired gender parity results. Gender parity and transformational processes will have to be incorporated into policies of various organisations. Transformation has to be owned by the leadership of the organisations; it should not be perceived as a compliance mechanisms. Gender parity in many organisations continues to be one of the issues that everyone knows about, but does little to implement. Key findings in this research suggest that Capricorn District Municipality is faced with some challenges that stems from inadequate communication, mentorship programme as well as training and development with regard to processes and policies pertaining to gender parity. Majority of respondent cited no knowledge of such processes and policies within the organization. The following recommendations were drawn from the study: Strategies that will alleviate the challenges includes, change management, HR management, communication plan and leadership commitment, will have to be put in place to address some of the challenges Key words; gender parity, equality, equity, leadership, transformation, empowerment.

Thesis (M.A.(Media studies ))--University of Limpopo, 2007 / There is gross uneven access and utilization of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) between developed and underdeveloped communities in South Africa. As a result the majority of the underdeveloped communities which are mainly found in rural areas fail to participate in the global ICT arena. Rural communities’ especially rural women are subjected to deprivation, poverty and isolation. Government sought to reverse the situation through the provision of Telecentres and Multi-purpose Community Centres (MPCCs). To understand the plight of the rural women, different theories ranging from capitalism to socialism were reviewed in an attempt to trace the mode of South African production which caused the problem and some understanding of the solution possible. The theory of oppression by Paul Freire (1970) serves as the main point of focus on how rural women fail to utilize Telecentres and MPCCs. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were adopted in order to present the perceptual views of these women. Various methods of collecting data were used in order to have a wider perspective of how Telecentres and MPCCs are utilized by rural women. This includes a profound investigation through which a pilot study, participant observation, focus group, interviews and questionnaires became instrumental to the whole research. The findings of the pilot study conducted in Mogalakwena Hewlett Packard inclusive of community (HPi-community) reflected that there are discrepancies and deficiencies which exit between Mogalakwena HPi-community and the three Telecentres Botlokwa, Mankweng and Mohodi. The tripartite marriage between Government Hewlett Packard and the municipality enable the Mogalakwena HPi-community to provide better ICT facilities. The other three Telecentres fail to meet the standard of the Mogalakwena HPi- community due to the fact that they lack financial support. Participant observation assisted in discovering that ICT access created a good relationship between Botlokwa Telecentre and its neighbouring institutions. It was also discovered that most youths come for computer-skill acquisition. Focus groups interviews were conducted using English and the local language (Sepedi) in order to meet the rural women’s level of understanding. Through in depth analysis, the study indicates that poverty, unemployment, limited funding, illiteracy, and unavailability of ICT facilities for the disabled are the main issues that contribute to the low impact of Telecentre and MPCC utilization. Apart from this analysis, ICT access has a significant impact on the lives of rural communities especially women. However, there is still a need for an accelerated growth in ICT utilization. It is recommended that effective mechanisms be put in place to assist improve the situation in ICT provision. This must involve the people themselves taking initiatives, of course with the active support of government.

In June 1999, I was a volunteer for a United States non-governmental organization, Crossroads Africa. I joined six other American women traveling to Ghana, West Africa to participate in a collaborative program designed by the Ghana Red Cross Society and Crossroads Africa. Specifically our group was assigned to work on a Women in Development (WID) project with three rural women's collectives, "Mothers Clubs," assisting them with income-generating projects in the Volta Region of Ghana. The projects varied among the villages. hi village one, Anfoeta Tsebi, the women extracted oil from palm fruit and kernels. They sold palm oil at regional markets and used the oil domestically to make stews and soap for washing. In village two, Heffi, Mothers Club members baked bread and processed gari from cassava yarns. In village three, Anyirawase, the women made batiks, tie-dye, beadwork, and woven mats from corn husks. My research objective was to evaluate the role that gender, the WID design, and power played in each project. I also sought to use my observations and the voices of African women to assess the successes and failures of the collaborative program of the Ghana Red Cross and Crossroads Africa. I used participant observation to gather this information. The sample was inclusive of project participants. I found that the womens' collectives provided positive networks of support for members. The women taught our Crossroads volunteers about how they were creating change. The collectives also showed how successful development depends on improving the quality of life for individuals. The women gained skills in leadership and health education, while they improved their economic situation. Women were becoming collectively empowered through their role as active agents for change in their communities. Their hard work, dedication, and widespread recognition of their accomplishments contributed to group empowerment. My findings suggest that the primary obstacles to project success were lack of resources and time and physical exhaustion from an increased workload Poor preparation and training for Crossroads volunteers and their ideological fragmentation prevented effective assistance and collaboration with the Mothers Clubs. One of my recommendations for future improvements is to integrate men into the development process to play a constructive role and minimize their opportunity for unwanted interference. Another recommendation is to encourage Ghana Red Cross leaders to hold seminars for women from different villages to allow for an exchange of knowledge about development projects. Finally, recommend that Crossroads Africa and Ghana Red Cross leaders make a greater effort to collaborate and improve preparation and training for participants. / Graduation date: 2001

<p>Following South Africa's independence from apartheid rule, there has been progressive developments in policies that promote equity in all spheres including the water sector. Equality in the water sector is not only limited to water access, but also management of the water. This study investigated the factors that empower women in the water sector as an example of gender equity.</p>

Bachelor's thesis. / Format: PDF. Bibl.

<p>Following South Africa's independence from apartheid rule, there has been progressive developments in policies that promote equity in all spheres including the water sector. Equality in the water sector is not only limited to water access, but also management of the water. This study investigated the factors that empower women in the water sector as an example of gender equity.</p>

The study details the transnational migrations of a sample of professional Indian women from Durban, KwaZulu Natal within the context of their historical transition from indentureship to transnationalism, and their changing social identities. The study makes a contribution towards contemporary interest in the subject of gender and migration in the 21st century. As the Indian and Chinese diasporas expand in size through knowledge workers and investments their increased visibility in countries throughout the world has led to a commensurate level of interest in resettlement and identity building. This dissertation deals specifically with Indian women in the South African diaspora and their transnational links with first world nations, particularly the United Kingdom. Chapter One is a brief history of Indian women in South Africa since their arrival as indentured labourers in 1860. It provides glimpses into their roles as mothers, wives and daughters in the patriarchal Indian household and their eventual transition into the professions. Chapter Two problematizes migration research in South Africa based on the inadequacy of national databases, specifically with regard to the invisibility of racial, gendered and occupational data pertinent to the context of international skills and professional migration. Chapters Three and Four deal with the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the fieldwork conducted as well as the research experiences and challenges of the anthropologist. Chapter Five, Six and Seven form the core ethnographic analysis of the women transnationals as single, married, divorced and widowed professionals. The rising number of Indian women transnationals of varying professional backgrounds, marital statuses and age groups leaving Durban since 1994 has led to the rapid transformation of the conservative Indian household. Their migration to first world destinations overseas signifies the impact of globalizing forces on the demand for professional skills from developing nations such as South Africa, as well as the increasing desire of the women to seek security, career advancement and independence in social spaces that are less repressive and more financially rewarding. Chapter Eight concludes the study by showing how the women are agents in their own emancipation and how identities within the duality of transnational migration have become a fluctuating terrain of negotiation and reconfiguration in their personal relationships and social practices. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2008.