No abstract available. / Thesis (M.Dev.Studies)-University of Natal, Durban, 1999.

In 1900 Durban's white' society closely resembled its British counterpart. As in Britain an ideal of womanhood encompassed various generalisations concerning woman's true nature and purpose. Women were upheld as pure, chaste nurturers, and homemakers. In order that they might remain so fufil their destiny as wives and mothers, women were expected to remain in the private sphere, protected and supported by bread-winning husbands and fathers. Reality did not conform to the ideal Not all women were happy or satisfied by marriage and motherhood Large numbers of women were neither supported nor protected but forced to enter the public sphere, finding employment to secure a livelihood. They faced discrimination within an ideology which admitted them to the labour force under sufferance Women's work' was poorly paid, of low status and offered little opportunity for advancement. For these and other reasons some women became prostitutes . The prostitution issue was extremely controversial in the period under discussion. Ambiguities and contradictions inherent in the ideology of sexuality were revealed, as were various attempts to cope with these issues. Prostitutes were exploited sexually but this exploitation was at least lucrative. Continental womed probably earned more money in a year than a housewife, cleaner or factory 'drudge' ever saw in thei r lives . Many women therefore chose to go beyond the pale of society . Women resisted constraints placed upon them in a number of ways: they refused offers of marriage (supposedly their highest attainment); they left their husbands; they attempted to learn about and obtain forms of contraception, in direct opposition to the ideology of motherhood; they risked abortion despite the possibiIity of death, injury, prosecution or societal ostracism. Women attempted to improve their wages, working conditions and status. During the Great War' some of their ambi tions were real ised though most concessions gained were lost by 1920. Most of Durban women's organisations (all middle-class) accepted and were reflective of the ideals held by society. The Women's Enfranchisement League however, though working within the ideology of the time, challenged women's relegation to the private sphere. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1991.

This research project is primarily a theoretical work which critiques androcentric knowledge in general and androcentricism in South African human geography in particular . It therefore has relevance both for local geographers and local feminists . The project as a whole has been informed by feminist politics at a theoretical , practical and personal level . The lack of gender-consciousness in the local radical geography tradition is challenged and local geographers are provided with specific pointers for moving beyond a gender-blind impasse . Furthermore , it is argued that the majority of the local gender-conscious literature has inadequately theorised patriarchal gender relations and that such a theorisation would have crucial bearing on developing strategies for social change . It is suggested that a materialist feminist theoretical framework offers the most sophisticated tool yet developed for understanding the oppression of women . Hence , a variety of contemporary materialist feminist work is reviewed, and a realist perspective is offered as a way of theorising the complex interconnections between the social relations of race, class and gender . This materialist approach has thus far had the greatest impact on feminist geographers. A selection of the latter 's work is therefore presented in order to illustrate how they have expanded our understanding of urban processes . Finally, empirical data pertaining to Durban is used to illustrate a) how gender is socially constructed: b) how gender meanings change over time and c) the way in which patriarchal gender relations have been expressed in the local context. It is ultimately asserted that geographers must take it as implicit that the categories and forces of the processes of urbanisation are dependent upon a specific construction of gender . The study of this, must in consequence become an integral part of human geographical analysis . / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1987.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1984.

This dissertation analyses the role of financial services in an attempt to understand how they might reduce the vulnerability to income risk for women street traders in Durban, South Africa. The street traders are exposed to income risks such as unpredictable markets, high levels of crime and lack of possibilities for business development. The stated hypothesis for this dissertation is that 'good' financial services may help poor individuals and households to better handle income risks and thereby lower the vulnerability to risks and reduce poverty. The access to financial services for the street traders in South Africa is rather limited and commercial banks are only willing to facilitate clients that have collaterals with an economic value. There are thus alternative financial institutions, such as microfinance organisations, that use social collateral like, for example, group-lending and frequent repayment schemes. This dissertation will discuss the use and impact of fmancial services on poverty reduction with a particular focus on a microfinance organisation and savings. The dissertation will consist of a literature review, a theoretical framework and an analysis of the findings from a case study. The literature review discusses the relation between risks, vulnerability, poverty and financial services in order to provide an introduction to the problem behind the stated hypothesis. The theoretical framework describes the cost of an imperfect market, why formal financial institutions fail the poor, solutions to the problem used by informal and microfinance institutions and the impact financial services have on poverty. The case study is based on a qualitative method through focus group discussions and individual in-depth interviews with clients in a microfinance organisation. To analyse the differences in saving behaviour and business related issues, the clients are divided into two groups with regards to how long they have been using financial services. One group consists of 'old' clients that have access and use the credit and deposit facilities accessible, and one group of 'new' clients that have just started and still have no access to the services. The findings show that 'old' clients have a higher level of income and more advanced businesses according to skill/capital intensity. Risk related to income and expenditures that the street traders mentioned are sensitive to the state of the economy, unbeneficial stock, weather conditions, seasonal trends, business agreements, crime and trade permits. Regarding savings, the street traders used a wide range of saving alternatives such as insurance schemes, bank accounts, money collectors, rotating credit and saving clubs and cash savings. There were thus a lack of 'good' saving opportunities and even the deposit schemes offered by the microfinance organisation was not used due to lack oftrust and accessibility. Both the 'old' and the 'new' clients were thus aware ofthe need of savings in order to protect themselves for future income and expenditure risks. The main conclusion is that the use of financial services through the microfinance organisation and other institutions may have helped the 'old' clients to develop their businesses and reach a higher income level. There is thus a lack of 'good' financial options for the street traders and their position is still very vulnerable. / Thesis (M.Dev. Studies)-University of Natal,Durban, 2003.

No abstract available. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1974.

This thesis presents a case study of women working in the informal sector in the Warwick Avenue Triangle of Durban. It documents and analyses the ways in which twenty women experience and contribute to recent changes in the urban informal sector. The women in this study are seen as knowledgeable agents who actively participate in their changing social and spatial worlds. In order to do this structuration theory, as a general philosophy of society, has been drawn on and linked to substantiative bodies of theory on the informal sector and feminist theory in geography. Field methods, appropriate to the investigation of meanings the informal sector were employed. The data collected was qualitatively interpreted in the light of the theory. The thesis concludes with a summary of the main findings and suggestions are made for policy and areas of future research on women in the informal sector. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sci.)-University of Natal, Durban, 1993.