This research study focuses on women in the South African workplace balancing managerial and motherhood roles. The purpose of the study is to explore both domestic and work coping mechanisms that these women employ or wish to employ. Exploratory or qualitative research methodology was used based on semistructured interviews on a non-probability sample of 14 respondents as mothers employed in middle management positions within a large banking organisation. Content analysis was used to analyse the interview transcripts. On the domestic side, working mothers appear to rely heavily on maids in the household and in terms of child-care, extended family and formal child-care facilities with much less reliance on the spouse or partner. This implies a necessary attitude change in South Africa in terms of the traditional gender roles of men and women no longer being suitable in today’s age. On the work side women appear not to perceive the organisation as a whole to be supportive of work-family life balance. The research study offers insights into the ideal role of organisations in South Africa in embracing work-family life balance as an holistic quality strategy for the retention of talented women in their leadership pipeline. / Dissertation (MBA)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) / unrestricted

The South African government has placed great emphasis on SMMEs being the group that could assist in steering the economy. It reviewed the measure of introducing women to the mainstream economy, as a marginalised group that are a majority in numbers, but a minority in the economy due to circumstances surrounding their traditional role and especially due to the constraints of the previous regime. The current government has introduced sweeping reforms through regulations aimed at preferential procurement of female-owned companies, but regardless of all government's initiatives female owned companies still struggle to compete with their male counterparts in the construction industry. The research problem questions the processes and systems put in place to alter the social, political and economic climate in South Africa that created a new cycle of opportunities and threats for the different stakeholders. It gave rise to hidden occlusions based on gender and race that need to be addressed. Frustrations such as those found in the empowerment initiatives of BEE that resulted in the decline of standards and an increase in the disadvantaged groups trapped into worse liabilities are worth mentioning. The literature review has produced important recommendations that when implemented may resolve the flaws that tend to create opportunities for unintended parties. Issues such as motivational factors, collaboration between partners, sound partnering relationships and establishing an organisational culture will assist role players to take stock, enable them to make a turn-around, view challenges in terms of concealed manifestations and ultimately effectively address said challenges. / Thesis (MBA) North-West University, Mafikeng Campus, 2012

Nearly a centennial after the granted women’s suffrage in the United States, almost 40 yearsfrom the start of the 70’s women’s right’s movements women have shown that they canobtain same level in education as men can and graduate with competitive skills as men.However, according to statistics that is when the equality seems to loose its balance. Despitethis there are women in this “Yes We Can”-era of where a former First Lady was verycompetitive in a Presidential Race, that with certain success factors compete effectively invarious male-dominant fields.

<p>Nearly a centennial after the granted women’s suffrage in the United States, almost 40 yearsfrom the start of the 70’s women’s right’s movements women have shown that they canobtain same level in education as men can and graduate with competitive skills as men.However, according to statistics that is when the equality seems to loose its balance. Despitethis there are women in this “Yes We Can”-era of where a former First Lady was verycompetitive in a Presidential Race, that with certain success factors compete effectively invarious male-dominant fields.</p>

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest exporters of oil and is known as the hub of Islam. It has been argued that the production of oil has a harmful effect on the economic and political status of women. Therefore, these tribal states are left with atypically strong patriarchal institutions where women are assigned to the domestic sphere. However, the international political pressure on Saudi Arabia to improve the position of women post the events of September the 11th 2001 has led the government to mobilise initiatives encouraging women into the public sphere. In addition, the depletion of oil resources has drawn the government’s attention to lessen its dependency on oil production and concentrate on private sector investment. Part of the government’s strategy has specifically focused on women, who hold much of the wealth in the country, to invest in the entrepreneurial sector in order to diversify the Saudi economy and provide employment to the rapidly increasing population. However, the laws continue to maintain women’s secondary position in society, as they are built on tribal customs and ideologies which treat women as ‘legal minors’ under the guardianship of her closest male relative. Furthermore, women are confined to jobs in the labour market which are deemed ‘suitable to their nature’, and thus, their entrepreneurial investment is constrained by gender-­‐discriminating laws and placed within certain industries. Research on Saudi women’s experiences of participating in the labour force are scarce, as is the literature on Saudi female entrepreneurs .This thesis adopts a relational multilevel framework with the lens of ‘patriarchal connectivity’ in investigating the salient micro-­‐ domestic, meso-­‐societal and macro-­‐ state opportunities and boundaries of 13 Saudi female entrepreneurs embedded in the patriarchal context. The research adopts a relational methodological approach, capitalising on qualitative in-­‐depth interviews with the female entrepreneurs to explore their entrepreneurial experiences, motivations, and the boundaries and opportunities they face. Furthermore, the study investigates women’s negotiation strategies in overcoming the patriarchal boundaries. The findings highlight the women’s ‘emancipatory’ motivations behind entrepreneurship. They also illustrate the nature of the ‘permeable boundaries’ within and across the patriarchal domestic, societal and state domains, which meant the women were paradoxically confronted by ‘enabling’ opportunities and ‘constraining’ boundaries in each of the domains. However, whilst the women did exercise agency at some permeable boundaries, this agency remained within the confines of a prevailing patriarchal structure.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--The Hague, The Netherlands, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 307-323).

Over the last twenty years female entrepreneurs have been increasing in numbers in economies of developing and developed nations across the world. But although female entrepreneurship participation rates have increased worldwide, it appears that economic and socio cultural patterns still prescribe whether a female can become or want to become an entrepreneur in her society. Some reasons are obvious such as lack of employment and opportunities; other are disguised in patriarchal culture that deters female entrepreneurship. Against this backdrop it appears that in less developed countries necessity and informal entrepreneurship are more prevalent than opportunity entrepreneurship. An explanation from economic nature for this phenomenon is perhaps the fact that with less job opportunities available in developing nations, the ‘need’ to become an entrepreneur seems to be the answer for females to make a living by creating their own jobs. At the socio cultural level, the motivation to become an entrepreneur out of need surfaces because of the socio cultural structure of certain nations that hinder females from finding work that brings them independence, self actualization and flexibility for work-life balance. This qualitative exploratory study investigates the phenomenon of female entrepreneurship comparing female entrepreneurship in two contexts: Brazil and the United States. The economic differences on a macro level between these two countries have been well documented and national socio cultural differences have been discussed. But very little has been focused at the individual level of the female entrepreneur per se, that is, how they perceive and experience the economic and the social cultural macro environment with their businesses. This research attempts to fill this gap. This was done by first reviewing the literature and then by analysing the responses from face to face and telephone interviews with 34 female entrepreneurs in Brazil and 26 in the United States. The findings indicated that female entrepreneurs in Brazil and the United States share similarities in motivation for starting the business in terms of pull factors, such as search for financial independence, want to be one’s own boss, need for autonomy, and self actualization. The women from both groups also identified customer satisfaction and recognition from society as key elements for their business success. But business informality was a phenomenon only found among the Brazilian enterprises (the informais) a factor found to be directly related to economic necessity and the scarcity of waged jobs and opportunities. The perception of gender barriers was shared by both groups of entrepreneurs but other factors such as religion and the importance of faith to succeed in business were emphasized only by the Americans. Higher education was perceived by both groups as an instrument to gain recognition from society, but not important to grow their businesses; vocational training was perceived as more important. Networking was perceived as important, but different patterns of networking emerged among the Brazilians and the Americans. Definitions of success also differ among the women independent from their nationality. Some were more inclined to define success in financial terms, others simply define success in terms of flexibility and the ‘got to be in control’ syndrome. This research contributed to an increased understanding of the processes of female entrepreneurship as it related to how economic and socio cultural forces influence these processes. The findings indicated that the female entrepreneurship process becomes a combination of two processes: a person driven process and a response to environment process. Mentoring and coaching programs that assist women finding their path to entrepreneurship along with their own passions should be emphasized by local agencies. Although policy development was not the specific objective of this study, a number of issues have arisen that have implications both for future research and female entrepreneurship policies. For instance, in Brazil, higher taxes and the high cost of starting a business were perceived by the women as barriers to their businesses. It is suggested that Brazilian authorities and legislators continue with their efforts to streamline the business start process by introducing innovative and cost effective ways to formalize a business.

Gender equality and women empowerment are two of the most up-to-date concerns on the international arena today. Several methods are being adopted with the aim to allow women’s equal social, economic and political participation. Entrepreneurship has been highlighted as a useful tool to foster women’s empowerment and hence the promotion of entrepreneurship has become a prominent approach in modern development efforts.   In Uganda, women constitute the majority of the informal labour force and are widely engaged in micro-business activities. Thus, this ethnographically inspired research aimed to assess if entrepreneurship can contribute to increased social power among female entrepreneurs in urban and suburban Kampala, Uganda. To do this, John Friedmann’s (Dis)empowerment model has been used as the main frame of interpretation. To fit into the context of women, it has been complemented with a gender analysis in order to identify the structural inequalities that may constrain the empowering impact of entrepreneurship.   This research was carried out as a field study in Kampala City and in three Kampala suburbs: Kyaliwajjala, Kireka and Kinawataka. It was financed by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and was conducted during nine weeks in September-November 2014. In total, 45 interviews were carried out with local business women as well as with local representatives and stakeholders in women entrepreneurship and women empowerment.   The conclusions drawn from this study is that entrepreneurship has contributed to increased social power among the women participating in this research, but that traditional gender norms and structures can constrain the empowering process. Greater economic responsibilities have not eased women’s obligations in the domestic sphere and thus created a double burden.

Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2018 / The high unemployment rate in South Africa encourages citizens to be job creators rather than job seekers. It is often said that small businesses hold the key to economic growth. The South African government endeavours to accelerate economic growth, job creation and to address inequalities, through enterprise development and support. It created and enacted laws that seek to create an enabling environment for the growth and support of predominantly black, women, youth and people with disabilities owning small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) and cooperatives. In ensuring support for SMMEs, the government of the Republic of South Africa promulgated the National Small Business Act (NSBA), Act 102 of 1996, which clearly outlines the support that national, provincial, local governments and private sector entities are compelled to develop and implement - programmes geared towards the support and promotion of SMMEs. Since 1996, these entities have developed programmes and projects that aim to implement support of SMMEs. Similarly, the government agencies that operate in the Capricorn District Municipality (CDM) have developed programmes in support of SMMEs and cooperatives as per the abovementioned Act. Most business owners are constantly faced with challenges, especially women-owned SMMEs. The role of government agencies and the implementation of relevant programmes and strategies to empower women-owned SMMES are explored. Despite the above-mentioned government initiatives, women-owned SMMEs are still facing challenges such as lack of financial support, inadequate infrastructure, access to market and other related problems. These challenges hinder their business initiatives and economic growth in the CDM. This research contributes to the public discourse regarding empowerment of SMMEs, with particular reference to women-owned businesses, and also to contribute to policy development in the promotion and support of SMMEs. A conceptual framework is also reviewed in the study, regarding the importance of government agencies, SMMEs and women empowerment to the development of the South African economy.

Dvidešimto amžiaus pabaigoje moksliniai tyrinėtojai vis didesnį dėmesį atkreipė į skirtingus vadovavimo stilius tarp vyrų ir moterų. Moteriško vadovavimo ypatumai siejami su bendradarbiavimu, komandiniu darbu, o vyriški vadovavimo ypatumai - konkurencingumu ir autoritetingumu. Pastaruoju metu atlikti tyrimai atskleidžia, kad moterys labiau nei vyrai linkusios taikyti transformacinį vadovavimo stilių, o transformacinis vadovavimo stilius siejamas su efektyviu vadovavimu. Tyrimo objektas - verslo moterų vadovių vadovavimo ypatumai. Tyrimo tikslas - atskleisti verslo moterų vadovių vadovavimo ypatumus. Tyrimo uždaviniai: • Atskleisti šiuolaikinio vadovavimo sampratą, • Išryškinti vyriškus ir moteriškus vadovavimo ypatumus, • Išryškinti moterų vadovių vadovavimo požymius, • Įvertinti verslo moterų vadovavimo efektyvumą ribojančius veiksnius. Tyrimo metodai: 1) Tyrimo duomenų rinkimo – apklausa internetu ir mokslinės literatūros analizė. 2) Tyrimo duomenų analizės – aprašomoji statistika. Tyrimo išvados. Teorinės analizės išvados: 1) Šiuolaikinio vadovo ypatumai: įžvalgus ateities vizijų kūrimas, socialiniai įgūdžiai, pasitikėjimas savimi, atvirumas naujai patirčiai, visuomeninės galios motyvai ir intuicija. 2) Verslo vadovas, norėdamas išlaikyti organizacijos konkurencingumą šiuolaikinėmis dinamiškomis rinkos sąlygomis, turi ne tik efektyviai atlikti vadovo funkcijas, bet ir tapti stipriu verslo lyderiu. 3) Išskirti vyriški vadovavimo ypatumai - orientacija į užduotį... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The researchers have paid closer and closer attention towards the difference in management style among men and women by the end of XX century. The peculiarities of female management are related to the cooperation and team work. While the peculiarities of male management – competitiveness and authority. The recent findings reveal that women are intent to apply transformative management style more than men. Transformative style is associated with the effective management. The research object: The peculiarities of business women managers’ management. The goal of research: To reveal the peculiarities of management of business women. The tasks of research: • Reveal the concept of contemporary management, • Specify the peculiarities of female and male management, • Specify the attributes of female managers management, • Assess the factors restricting the business women managers’ management. Research methods: 1) Research data gathering – questioning on internet and scientific literature analysis. 2) Research data analysis – descriptive statistics. Research conclusions. Conclusions of theory analysis: 1) The peculiarities of the contemporary manager: insightful creation of the future visions, social abilities, self-confidence, openness to the new experience, social power motivation and intuition. 2) Business manager, willing to maintain the competitiveness of organization in conditions of contemporary dynamic market, must fulfill duties of manager effectively and become a strong... [to full text]