This treatise investigates the representation of career opportunities for young girls as portrayed in three English-medium newspapers published in the Nelson Mandela Bay in 2010.While there have been numerous researches on the representation of women in the media, studies on career opportunities for young girls have yet to be conducted. Previous studies have established that girls were socialized to occupy nurturing roles in society: through parents, schools and social institutions like churches were chief socialization instruments. The use of language and rhetoric in the media often reiterates this socialization. Due to the power of the media to influence perceptions, this research reflects on the messages obtained by readers of the publications. The research is important because it aims to identify the trends of representation of career and life opportunities for girls in: The Herald, the Weekend Post and La Femme newspapers. A pilot study of articles on women and young girls was completed; this was followed by a main study. A content analysis of articles only on women and girls was conducted; whilst articles on young boys and men were excluded from this research, as its main focus was on women. The theoretical frameworks applied were the theories of journalism and feminism to determine the nature of representation. While the media organisations operate solely as a business, whose interest is to make profit, they have the fundamental responsibility of promoting values, particularly in South Africa. Under the leadership of the ANC-led government, plans have been executed to promote a 50/50 representation in government. Also, the participation of women in the private sector has improved through the requirements of the policy of Black Economic Empowerment, which aims to redress the wrongs of the past. This project has established that although the world has embraced feminism and the equality of women and men, much still needs to be done to reinforce these ideals, especially in the socialization of children.

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Technology in Public Management, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2015. / This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the career progression of women in higher education in general and South Africa in particular, using the case study of the Durban University of Technology. Recent research has shown that even though women have made some progress as compared to where they were twenty years ago, the progress of women has proven to be resistant to change in terms of higher level and rewarding positions (Turner 2012; Hofmeyr and Mzobe 2012; Botool and Sajid 2013; Mouley, 2013). According to Boushey and Farrell (2013:6), this lack of progress results from a lack of flexibility and unpredictable scheduling at the workplace. Others argue that career interruption for childbirth and rearing; domestic responsibilities; gender parities at the work place; organizational structures; and policies that do not meet the needs of female employees affect career progress (Wallace and Smith 2011:3 and Tsoka 2010:6). The purpose of the study was, therefore, to examine the nature of the progress of women in higher education, and to identify factors influencing their progress. The study was conducted at the Durban University of Technology with a sample of 250 women from academic and administrative units the stratified random sampling technique was used, in which the target population at the DUT was grouped into different strata, and then the sample elements were selected from each of the groups. The study used both quantitative and qualitative research designs (mixed method), whereby self-administered questionnaires were used to collect the data. The questionnaire consisted of open-ended and closed ended questions. The closed- ended questions were quantitative, while the open ended questions were qualitative. The closed-ended responses were then analysed using SPSS, while the open ended responses used the inductive approach to highlight the factors influencing the career progression of women in higher education, thereby leading to recommendations on policies which would enhance career progression of women in higher education. The findings of the research revealed that women are still underrepresented in higher. It was recommended that management should improve working conditions for women and ensure that the effective monitoring and evaluation of the various policies in place.

From our earliest history, gifted women from Sappho and Harriet Tubman to Eleanor Roosevelt and Nadine Gordimer have enhanced our lives through their gifts and accomplishments. Since many of these gifted women have succeeded in the face of almost insurmountable obstacles, it is often assumed that all gifted women will be able to achieve without outside help. However, many gifted women do not realize their potential and end up squandering their gifts in menial tasks, underpaid jobs, and unfulfilled lives. Thus, career development for gifted women is an essential task.For women who possess a variety of talents, one of the best ways to be fulfilled is through the balancing of multiple roles, such as family and work. Consequently, one aspect of career development, which is of great importance to gifted women in particular, is the decision about whether to engage in multiple roles and how to do so successfully. Since juggling multiple roles requires prior planning and serious commitment, one of the best ways to assist gifted young women in these tasks is to gain information about how the decision was made and determine their level of commitment to it. As with many career decisions, knowledge about, and encouragement for, particular choices may depend upon mentors and role models.Mentors and role models can be invaluable but their impact in helping with preparation for a lifestyle involving multiple roles is unknown. To determine who their mentors and role models are and how they affect attitudes toward multiple roles, 101 gifted high school women completed a demographics question and the Attitudes Toward Multiple Role Planning scale (ATMRP). Data were analyzed via frequency counts, chisquare, and MANOVA procedures.Contrary to expectations, study participants did not have significantly more role models than they did mentors nor was any one group mentioned most often as mentors and role models. As anticipated, most gifted young women did plan to combine family and paid employment in their lives. However, no significant group differences on the A'TMRP were found between those with mentors and role models and those without. Conclusions and implications are discussed. / Department of Counseling Psychology and Guidance Services

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of the following career guidance strategies: career information investigating, job information interviewing, shadowing, panel of positive female role models, parental involvement and group counseling on career maturity and locus of control of high-achieving twelfth-grade females. Participants in this study were thirty-two high-achieving twelfth-grade females currently enrolled in advanced placement English classes, who were currently taking advanced mathematics, advanced science, and advanced foreign language courses; or who had completed three years of advanced mathematics, advanced science, and advanced foreign language courses. The design of this experiment was a pretest-posttest, experimental/control group design. The participants in the treatment group participated in a ten-week career guidance program involving strategies to increase career maturity and improve internal locus of control utilizing the results of the Career Maturity Inventory, Counseling Form B-1 and the Different Situations Inventory. / Ed. D.

Over the last twenty years women have gradually entered number of occupations that have been considered "traditionally male". Despite recent gains, women continue to be underrepresented in science, mathematics and engineering career fields. Based on the application of Bandura's self-efficacy theory as applied to career development, the purpose of this study was to determine whether there was any difference in career choice self-efficacy, career decision-making self-efficacy or career maturity after participating in one of two performance-based research programs, specifically, a community-based mentorship program or a school-based research program. In addition the study investigated gender and personality differences between the groups, the student and mentor/supervisor perceptions of the quality and enjoyment of the experience, the quantitative application, the time involved and ways to improve the programs. The quasi-experimental study used a non-randomized control-group pretest-posttest design with two experimental groups and one control group. To determine the reliability and validity of the student perception instrument and the mentor/supervisor validation assessment, a pilot study was conducted. The groups were pre and post tested using the Career Decision-Making Self-Efficacy Scale, the Career Development Inventory and the Self-Efficacy for Technical/Scientific Fields Scale. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with PSAT scores and grade point averages serving as covariates. The results of the study found no differences in gain scores between the experiential programs and ordinary maturation. However, students in the mentorship program felt more positive about their mentor, the scientific/technical nature of the experience, and the application and enjoyment of the program than did the school-based group. The groups differed generally on the judging/perceiving characteristic of the Myers-Briggs Personality Indicator scale. Gender differences were found in time supervisors spent with students: whereas, mentors spent over twice as much time helping females, school-based teachers spent twice as much time with males. Recommendations include further validation of self-efficacy measures, further investigation of the effectiveness of self-efficacy based interventions, and replication with more diverse and special populations as well as with elementary and junior high school students. / Ed. D.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of career choice, self concept, and grade level to the work value orientation of black females. More specifically, the study tested the extent to which the relationship among these variables could be shown to exist among a population of females enrolled in inner city vocational schools. An extensive review of the literature indicated the possibility of determining potential satisfaction of students in specific vocational areas by analyzing some of the basic internal characteristics of the individual while he or she is still in the school environment. In addition, the literature revealed that if vocational educators, in particular, are aware of certain basic characteristics about youth, it is likely that the youth could be helped to become better prepared for the world of work in terms of the personal meaning and value that work is capable of bringing to their lives. Further, it was found that many of the studies which have been conducted have been done so from a theoretical basis using a specific segment of the population--white middle class males. Research findings therefore, have indicated conflicting views relative to basic characteristics of other groups, i.e., their self concepts, their work value orientations, their satisfaction with work. Of particular interest have been black females who often experience both sex and race discrimination and who face a double disadvantage in the career choice process. Based on the literature review, this study was initiated to compare samples of black females in three traditionally female vocational areas and at three grade levels by using their mean scores on Part II of the <i>Meaning and Value of Work Scale</i> and the total positive score of the <i>Tennessee Self Concept Scale</i>. The population consisted of black females enrolled in Health Occupations, Occupational Home Economics, and Business and Office Education in the Career Development Centers of the District of Columbia Public Schools. Two hundred fifty nine subjects participated in the study. Null hypotheses were formulated to determine the relationships between the one dependent variable (work value orientation) and the three independent variables (career choice, self concept, and grade level). A factorial analysis of variance (ANOVA) procedure was utilized to analyze the data; level of significance was set at .05. Where there were significant F values obtained by the ANOVA procedure, the Newman-Keuls post hoc test was used to determine which differences contributed to the significance. The results of the study revealed that black females enrolled in inner city vocational schools do not clearly indicate tendencies toward either an extrinsic or intrinsic work value orientation. However, there were individual students who distinctly indicated tendencies toward either extreme of the continuum. In addition, the self concepts of the students were found to be below the norm for the instrument used. However, using the norm of the sample group, it was found that their self concepts fell within an average range. Differences were found in the female's work value orientation on career choice, self concept, and grade level. The post hoc test revealed specific differences in work value orientation of females in home economics, indicating their tendencies toward a more extrinsic work value orientation than the other two groups. Further, the test revealed that females with high self concepts and those in grade 12 tended to differ significantly in terms of work value orientation from the others. These females indicated tendencies toward an intrinsic work value orientation. Results of the interaction of career choice by grade level, grade level by self concept, and career choice by grade level by self concept failed to reject the null hypotheses. However, the test of the interaction of career choice and self concept did result in the rejection of null hypothesis. / Ed. D.

Global consensus on the importance of gender equity in education is perhaps one of the greatest agreements reached in the twentieth century. However, for countries in the sub Saharan African region where disparities of gender are wide and primary education takes priority, secondary education continues to remain in the periphery. As countries make progress towards the attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE), the concerns for gender equity and equality have become associated with school access and pupil retention. Yet, patterns and trends in school enrollment suggest that disparities of gender are more complex. As lessons are learned from the achievements and challenges of attaining UPE, it is increasingly apparent that gender disparities within education occur in, within and beyond access to schooling. In other words, the challenge of making education gender equal goes beyond school access and school enrollment. Kenya is a signatory to the 1990 Jomtein Declaration on Education For All (EFA). It is also among the few countries in the sub Saharan Africa region with a significantly reduced gender gap in primary and secondary education. This is in tandem with the third of the eight Millennium Development Goals whose aims bear a broad social and economic development agenda. While education equity is important in Kenya and tremendous progress has been made in primary education, beyond the attainment of Universal Primary Education (UPE) there is an even more significant target; gender equity in education both in primary and secondary education by 2015. The attainment of this target requires more than access to schooling and for this reason it poses great challenges to governments and schools. In light of the progress made in Kenya and the need for more equitable education beyond primary education, this study conceives a need for an incisive examination of education equity priority areas in Kenya. The study argues on the need for a shift of concern and debate from primary education to secondary education because the gains of UPE only become meaningful when education equity is secured in secondary education. The study underscores that beyond school access and retention, education output and outcomes need to become prominent variables because they gauge trends and patterns and the quality of gains made where education is claimed to be both accessible and equitable. Using case study method, the study makes a critical interpretation of the schooling experiences, educational choices, preferences and aspirations of girls taking secondary education in single-sex schools in Murang’a district, Kenya. The study shows that girls schooling experiences are not homogenous and that there are contradictions in the ways that girls experience their schooling and make educational choices. It also shows that girls do not necessarily stand good chances with their education simply because they are enrolled in single-sex schools. The study reveals individual subjectivities and schooling culture to be at the centre of the differences between schools and the schooling experiences that girls have. The two have impact on how girls perceive themselves and their abilities, the preferences they nurture and the educational choices they make. The study draws attention to nuances in access and equity within girls’ education. It draws out issues and nuances linked to gender access, equity and equality with respect to school, teacher and subject access. Though the study is not generaliseable, it shows that in contexts where female access and survival is secured, there is need for attention to be paid to the environments that nurture educational choices and preferences so that the high rates in school access become translated into equally high educational output and outcomes.