The plight of women who reside around the mining communities has not received the necessary attention from a research perspective. This concern prompted the researcher to compose a qualitative research aimed at exploring the experiences and challenges faced by these women. This was a case study research which was conducted among women who reside around the Driekop mining community in Limpopo province and designed from exploratory, descriptive, contextual and phenomenological in designs. The study was guided by the two theories: the feminist theory and the coping theory of Lazarus and Folkman. Relevant research ethical principles were upheld during the plenary phase wherein the research proposal was subjected to review by the Higher Degrees Committee of the UNISA’s Social Work Departmental Research and Ethics Committee and throughout the duration of the study. The data which was collected through the semi-structured interviews was analysed using Braun and Clarke’s six steps of data analysis, gave rise to several experiences and challenges which are presented in a form of nine themes and 13 subthemes. In striving to assure research quality, Guba and Lincoln’s trustworthiness principles were adopted. Some conclusions are drawn from the process of qualitative research as an approach adopted to guide the study as well as the findings based on the collected and analysed data. Based on the conclusions of the research process and the research findings, the reader’s attention is drawn to some recommendations which are proposed to inform practice, training and policy development. / Social Work / M.A. (Social Work)

Participatory development is believed to be an essential ingredient of the development process because it enables the people to influence the policy and decision-making process. It facilitates the designing of and enhances the implementation of plans and programmes or projects and that participation results in the development of ownership and belonging among the people themselves. This feeling in turn goes a long way to ensure the success of a programme or project. This study highlights some of the elements that led to the successful implementation of an income-generating project with women. The study also demonstrates that the people's own ideas are able to command adequate levels of participation, support and commitment to enhance their ability to meet their needs. The study further looks at the ownership of the project as very important for successful implementation and that projects or programmes should be facilitated within the means of the local participants to manage and control them. The elements mentioned in this study are an essential part of participatory development and enable the people to learn to take charge of their lives and solve their own problems. The study further looks at cultural and traditional values as an essential part of human growth, because local action taken by the women is very important in promoting overall success of the project. / Social work / M.A. (SS) (Mental Health)

Participatory development is believed to be an essential ingredient of the development process because it enables the people to influence the policy and decision-making process. It facilitates the designing of and enhances the implementation of plans and programmes or projects and that participation results in the development of ownership and belonging among the people themselves. This feeling in turn goes a long way to ensure the success of a programme or project. This study highlights some of the elements that led to the successful implementation of an income-generating project with women. The study also demonstrates that the people's own ideas are able to command adequate levels of participation, support and commitment to enhance their ability to meet their needs. The study further looks at the ownership of the project as very important for successful implementation and that projects or programmes should be facilitated within the means of the local participants to manage and control them. The elements mentioned in this study are an essential part of participatory development and enable the people to learn to take charge of their lives and solve their own problems. The study further looks at cultural and traditional values as an essential part of human growth, because local action taken by the women is very important in promoting overall success of the project. / Social work / M.A. (SS) (Mental Health)

Text in English / The transition from traditional to non-traditional marital roles was brought about by changes in the political, social and economic spheres. Within this transition, a new family arrangement has emerged in which traditional marital roles of breadwinning husband and care-giving, nurturer-wife are replaced by a breadwinning wife and a care-giving, nurturer-husband, the so-called stay-at-home husband. Various factors contributed and necessitated this change in marital roles, such as, but not limited to, the feminist movement, the economic recession, changes in legislation, retrenchments and so forth. However, making this transition is not easy. These couples, fulfilling non-traditional marital roles, are faced with stigmatisation and negative attitudes that make them want to conceal their marital roles from family, friends, the community and society as a whole. This state of affairs results in a situation where these couples stay in the closet and as consequence the topic is ill-researched and ripe for further investigation. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, this study explored and described the challenges, experiences and coping resources of couples fulfilling non-traditional marital roles in order to propose practice guidelines to support these couples from a social work perspective. A total of ten couples participated in the study. Independently, the working wives and stay-at-home husbands provided separate accounts of realities related to fulfilling the non-traditional marital roles within their respective marital relationships. Themes that emerged from the in-depth description of their experiences reflected the benefits accrued, the challenges experienced, their needs and coping resources. From the information provided suggestions were derived for social workers to assist couples in a similar working wife and stay-at-home husband marriage set-up to deal with situations encountered. In consulting extant literature, research on this phenomenon appeared to be totally neglected both internationally and nationally. Hence this study sought to address this lacuna by specifically investigating the situation in South Africa. It also appeared that existing research tended to focus on either the stay-at-home mother or the dual career family. Research on the experiences of stay-at-home husbands was thus severely lacking as were ways in which such couples in these roles could be supported. Therefore, making use of the ecological and role theory perspectives, attention is given to exposing their experiences, challenges and coping resources with a view to developing practice guidelines for helping social work practitioners to adequately support these couples practising non-traditional marital roles. / Social Work / Ph. D. (Social Work)

Text in English / This study is focused on the topical issue of female poverty in South Africa. Specifically, the study is on how poverty has single mothers households in reception area of Diepsloot informal settlements and how they have been coping with poverty while at the same time trying to change their situation. The study is premised on a qualitative approach employing the use of snowball sampling to refer other single mothers resident in the reception area. Methodologically, the results are drawn primarily on interviews held with 30 women residing in the reception area of the informal settlements. The study selects 8 out of 30 case studies which stand out from the others in circumstances, challenges and livelihood assets; challenges and coping mechanisms. What emerges from the results of all the interviews is a complex range of factors influencing and exacerbating these households' vulnerability and resilience to chronic poverty. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

The transition from traditional to non-traditional marital roles was brought about by changes in the political, social and economic spheres. Within this transition, a new family arrangement has emerged in which traditional marital roles of breadwinning husband and care-giving, nurturer-wife are replaced by a breadwinning wife and a care-giving, nurturer-husband, the so-called stay-at-home husband. Various factors contributed and necessitated this change in marital roles, such as, but not limited to, the feminist movement, the economic recession, changes in legislation, retrenchments and so forth. However, making this transition is not easy. These couples, fulfilling non-traditional marital roles, are faced with stigmatisation and negative attitudes that make them want to conceal their marital roles from family, friends, the community and society as a whole. This state of affairs results in a situation where these couples stay in the closet and as consequence the topic is ill-researched and ripe for further investigation. Using a qualitative, phenomenological approach, this study explored and described the challenges, experiences and coping resources of couples fulfilling non-traditional marital roles in order to propose practice guidelines to support these couples from a social work perspective. A total of ten couples participated in the study. Independently, the working wives and stay-at-home husbands provided separate accounts of realities related to fulfilling the non-traditional marital roles within their respective marital relationships. Themes that emerged from the in-depth description of their experiences reflected the benefits accrued, the challenges experienced, their needs and coping resources. From the information provided suggestions were derived for social workers to assist couples in a similar working wife and stay-at-home husband marriage set-up to deal with situations encountered. In consulting extant literature, research on this phenomenon appeared to be totally neglected both internationally and nationally. Hence this study sought to address this lacuna by specifically investigating the situation in South Africa. It also appeared that existing research tended to focus on either the stay-at-home mother or the dual career family. Research on the experiences of stay-at-home husbands was thus severely lacking as were ways in which such couples in these roles could be supported. Therefore, making use of the ecological and role theory perspectives, attention is given to exposing their experiences, challenges and coping resources with a view to developing practice guidelines for helping social work practitioners to adequately support these couples practising non-traditional marital roles. / Social Work / Ph. D. (Social Work)

Text in English / This study is focused on the topical issue of female poverty in South Africa. Specifically, the study is on how poverty has single mothers households in reception area of Diepsloot informal settlements and how they have been coping with poverty while at the same time trying to change their situation. The study is premised on a qualitative approach employing the use of snowball sampling to refer other single mothers resident in the reception area. Methodologically, the results are drawn primarily on interviews held with 30 women residing in the reception area of the informal settlements. The study selects 8 out of 30 case studies which stand out from the others in circumstances, challenges and livelihood assets; challenges and coping mechanisms. What emerges from the results of all the interviews is a complex range of factors influencing and exacerbating these households' vulnerability and resilience to chronic poverty. / Development Studies / M.A. (Development Studies)

Women entrepreneurs in the formal or informal sector continue to encounter social, psychological, political, and religious-related challenges, inhibiting their functioning. Consequently, this study explored the psychosocial experiences affecting the informal female traders at Tshakhuma fruit market in Limpopo, South Africa and the coping strategies employed to mitigate psychosocial experiences. The study adopted an interpretivism approach and applied a qualitative methodology and narrative design. Seven informal female traders shared their psychosocial experiences and coping strategies through stories and were collected using unstructured interviews. The narrative thematic analysis was used to analyse the interviews, and psychosocial experiences and coping strategies themes are developed. The family, work environment, and sociocultural social systems guided the psychosocial experiences themes. Lazarus and Folkman informed the coping strategies themes. The findings provided some understanding of women's entrepreneurship in the informal sector, but the findings cannot be extended in another context / Psychology / M.A. Psychology

The family roles and responsibilities are still allocated along the gender lines. Women assume primary child care and household roles despite working fulltime. They suffer from work-family conflict as they battle with these competing demands. A phenomenological approach was adopted for this study. The existing literature was used in defining work-family conflict, looking at different work-family theories; development of gendered defined roles, motherhood and demands brought on by women working fulltime. The semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The themes which emerged showed that women experience strong emotions associated with raising children whilst working. There is compromise on quality time dedicated in each role. Women assume sole custodian over their children’s upbringing. Women enter into a second shift after work. Having a career and children, is made easier through adoption of strong coping strategies and mechanisms. The conclusions and recommendations were made for future a research and organisational practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psycology))

The family roles and responsibilities are still allocated along the gender lines. Women assume primary child care and household roles despite working fulltime. They suffer from work-family conflict as they battle with these competing demands. A phenomenological approach was adopted for this study. The existing literature was used in defining work-family conflict, looking at different work-family theories; development of gendered defined roles, motherhood and demands brought on by women working fulltime. The semi-structured interview was used for data collection. The themes which emerged showed that women experience strong emotions associated with raising children whilst working. There is compromise on quality time dedicated in each role. Women assume sole custodian over their children’s upbringing. Women enter into a second shift after work. Having a career and children, is made easier through adoption of strong coping strategies and mechanisms. The conclusions and recommendations were made for future a research and organisational practices. / Industrial and Organisational Psychology / Thesis (M.A. (Industrial and Organisational Psycology))