Thesis (MA(Psychology))-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.N.)--University of Alberta, 2009. / A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Nursing, Faculty of Nursing. Title from pdf file main screen (viewed on November 15, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Zimbabwean rural women make significant contribution to agriculture and are the mainstay of the farm labour. Although women do the majority of agricultural work, men, for the most part continue to own the land, control women‟s labour and make agricultural decisions supported by patriarchal social systems. Thus, rural women faced difficulties than men in gaining access to land under Fast Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP). Women‟s relationship with land is therefore through husbands, fathers, brothers or sons. Therefore, this study has undertaken with the objective of assessing the impact of land distribution programme with respect to its contribution to women‟s empowerment in the study area. The Gender and Development approach was employed to assess women access to land under the FTLRP. Such an approach to rural development can help in reducing the gender gap between women and men in order to achieve gender-balanced development. The study used qualitative research methodology where semi-structured interviews gather data from women in Mutasa District. Findings indicate that there are a number of challenges and constraints that are experienced by rural women under the Fast Track Land Reform Programme which include male land registration, no access to credit, inadequate government input support, lack of government laws and policies awareness on women land rights, shortage of farm implements and irrigation water supply and lack of agriculture training. On the other hand, culture and traditional practices still affect women in other cases, disadvantaging them in favour of men, as in inheritance of land and property in the household. It was generally assumed that the programme did not improve women access to land. To improve women access to land, in future, the study recommends that a serious intervention by the state should occur coupled with the revitalization of the programme and a paradigm shift towards an effective food security programme which emphasizes women and their important role in agriculture.

This study has assessed the self-help group approach and its contribution to women empowerment in the Debremarkos district of the Amhara region of Ethiopia. SHG is an approach that strives to empower poor women through organising them in groups to solve their problem through mutual help. This study employed a mixed method using both the qualitative and quantitative techniques. The findings suggest that the SHG approach has brought social and economic empowerment for the poor women in Debremarkos district who participated in SHG. The findings suggest that the selfhelp approach is important, particularly by creating access for the poor to financial resources with low interest rates, which is a key for the success of the businesses of the poor. The SHG approach has also significant contribution for social empowerment by building the confidence of women and facilitating their participation in their community. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The South African local government is expected to conform to all national policy directives including the principle of gender equality. Local government provides an immense opportunity for redressing imbalances and empowerment of women as they are the most negatively affected by poverty as a result of inequality. The South African Government has developed a wide range of legislation that ensures that women are empowered and participate in their own development. With all the legislation in place, women‟s empowerment as envisaged in the South African Constitution has, however, not yet been yielded the desired results as evidenced by the fact that women continue to remain disadvantaged in relation to men. This study therefore seeks to investigate whether and how the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality (NMBMM) has mainstreamed gender in support to the principles of gender equality and women‟s empowerment in the implementation of Integrated Development Planning (IDP) with particular reference to wards 15 and 17. The researcher used a mixed methods research approach, this means that the study followed both the qualitative and quantitative approaches for in-depth understanding followed in the design and implementation of the IDP process. Data was collected from women participants by conducting surveys, making use of questionnaires. Structured interviews were conducted with municipality officials in order to give more insight more insight into how the IDP process is initiated in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Municipality. The findings of the study revealed that there is a lack of a strategic understanding of gender mainstreaming particularly by the leadership of the municipality. This as a result, has made operationalisation and engendering the IDP difficult. Due to this strategic vacuum, gender is generally not taken seriously when compared to other developmental challenges such as infrastructure provision. Moreover, the municipality does not have a coordination mechanism nor does it have a proper consultation mechanism to ensure that the nature of development projects is appropriate, effective and actually targets women‟s developmental needs. The leadership of the municipality must commit to the process of gender mainstreaming if the IDP is to be an effective tool in addressing the gender imbalances.

M.Ed. (Community Education) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

MPM / Oliver Tambo Institute of Governance and Policy Studies

Female managers in the mining industry face unique challenges not experienced by their male counterparts. They need to perform identity work to overcome these barriers successfully so that they can create a leadership identity. Leadership development contexts may foster identity construction. To enhance employment equity in historically male-dominated professions and environments, an understanding of women’s leadership identity construction in leadership development contexts is beneficial. The purpose of this research was to explore the identity work of female managers working in a leadership development context in the mining industry, to determine how they construct a leadership identity. This was an exploratory and descriptive qualitative study conducted within the hermeneutic phenomenological research paradigm. A purposive sample consisting of five women working in a mining company was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, and data were analysed using the phenomenological hermeneutical method. The main findings indicate that four main identity bases influence how female managers in a leadership development context create a leadership identity. These include: (i) the impact of life spheres, (ii) integrating personal and professional roles, (iii) the role work facets play and (iv) the changing self. Moreover, four leadership identity work strategies are used to counter the effects of the identity bases. These are: (i) being guided by personal philosophies, (ii) balance and negotiation between personal and professional lives, (iii) building relationships both personally and professionally, and (iv) assuming ownership for careers and lives using career management strategies. Based on these findings, a conceptual framework was developed. The findings may guide organisations in developing and implementing effective and well-informed policies, strategies and initiatives geared at the attraction, retention, development and appropriate support of women who are or who wish to be employed as female managers in the mining industry. This study contributes to the knowledge base concerning female leadership in the mining industry in South Africa. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / M. Com. (Industrial and Organisational Psychology)

No description available.

Social Work / M.A. Social Science (Mental Health)