Bibliography: pages 77-84. / In this study, possible gender differences in and attitudes towards mathematics will be investigated. As a sample, the candidates taking part in the individual competition in the University of Cape Town Mathematics Competition will be used. This sample has been chosen since it appears that even though the gender related differences in performance that are reported are often very small, the differences are often more apparent at the upper end of the ability scale. Since the University of Cape Town Mathematics Competition attracts entries from candidates of wide ranging ability, a number of investigations can be done. The investigations that will be carried out. included statistical analyses of a number of different categories in mathematics (algebra, arithmetic, geometry and problem solving), various sub-categories and special categories; questions that have been repeated in more than one question paper will also be investigated for any patterns in performance (in terms of maturity in mathematics). Since learners engaging in mathematical activities (including participating in mathematics competitions) are affected by external and internal influences on their perception and attitudes towards mathematics, it was felt that an investigation into the relationship between performance in mathematics and attitudes towards mathematics was important. Gender related differences in attitudes towards mathematics will also be investigated. The results of this study will show that, where statistically significant differences in performance exist, these differences are in fact very small. The results of the attitudes questionnaire demonstrate that there is a statistically significant correlation between attitudes and performance in mathematics and that there exists small, yet statistically significant differences in attitudes towards mathematics.

Includes bibliographical references. / Much research on economically-enforced migration between Zimbabwe and South Africa locates women as partners of men, rather than as economic agents in their own terms. Research on cross-border trade, however, has theorized that gender dynamics may empower women traders as they learn to negotiate new business networks and as they develop economic independence; a different perspective on gender dynamics suggests that far from empowerment, women cross border-traders face particular abuse and harassment. This research worked with eleven Zimbabwean cross border traders to explore the theoretical tensions between notions of ‘empowerment’ and notions of ‘disadvantage’ arising from the traders’ experiences. The study concentrated in particular on the traders’ representation of their experiences at the Zimbabwe/South Africa Beitbridge border post crossing point. Analysing the material qualitatively, the dissertation argues that while gender dynamics can be seen to afford the traders both opportunities and great challenges, the traders’ representations of the interplay of official corruption and the impact of economic pressure on all border-players reveal the border-post itself as a complex site of micro-negotiations whereby survival becomes the ‘business’ itself.

Bibliography: leaves 138-143.

Includes bibliographical references.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Previous research has provided promising evidence for the effectiveness of video interventions to raise awareness of the gender bias that exists in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. However, creating these beneficial video interventions can be costly and its possible that the success of these interventions may be hindered if a certain amount of resources are not invested into their creation (e.g., into high quality actors). Therefore, the current study expands on this research by investigating the use of personal testimonials of women’s experiences with gender bias in STEM as gender bias interventions. More specifically, I examined whether certain characteristics (e.g., genuineness) of the testimonial’s communicator would influence the relevant gender bias outcome (e.g., awareness of bias and sexism). I predicted that watching a woman genuinely talking about her experiences with bias, relative to a scripted re-telling of this story, would lead to better perceptions of the woman (e.g., more positive perceptions and perceptions of genuineness), greater feelings of empathy and connection with the woman, as well as less greater awareness of gender bias and less sexism from participants. To test this possibility, participants in the study were randomly assigned to interact with one of four story formats, a genuine telling of the woman’s experiences with bias, a scripted re-telling of these experiences, a written version of the story, or a unrelated control video. After interacting with the story participants then completed measures related to perceptions of the woman and gender bias. The findings of the study were limited, possibly due to a lack of power, but were encouraging as they were in the expected direction. The implications of the findings as well as future research ideas to expand and improve on these findings are discussed.

Based on ethnographic fieldwork in the povoados of Nvava and Nangaze, in the district of Lugela, Zambézia Province, central Mozambique, consisted of field visits that started in June 2016 and ended in April 2018, this thesis is an ethnography of the relationships between people, spirits, animals and landscapes. It examines the cultural, scientific, ethical, and economic stakes of local modes of relating to Mount Mabo, the River Múgue and Mount Muriba that both abide by and surpass the exclusionary forms of science, nature conservation and governance that dominate environmentalism in Mozambique. Focusing on narratives and practices, the study explores concepts such as person, nature and time as mobilized by the state, conservationists and local residents, and describe the respective emerging worlds and their messy interconnections, namely, the conservationists' "Google Forest" premised on techno-science and modernist ideals and seeking to enact a divide between nature and society, the "Neo-extractive" version of landscapes promoted by the Frelimo-run state in its attempt to generate wealth and alleviate poverty also premised on techno-science and modernist ideals that construct nature as a natural resource and "public good" to be owned through DUATs (land use rights certificates) that only the state can grant or revoke; and finally, the "Secret Mount Mabo" as experienced and expressed by local residents whereby landscapes emerge as relational entities demanding ori'a (respect) from the humans with whom they engage in a relation of mutual belonging. In this world, the amwene emerge as the ones who control access to the mountain and forest through their ritual and spiritual power. The study finds that reframing of colonial and neoliberal notions of property, nature, labour and citizenry by conservationists and the state, underlies their technoscientific approaches seeking to protect nature from devastation and impose and their respective versions of nature, human and time—worlds—on local residents. That approach renders dialogues across ontologies extremely difficult. Working with local residents' concepts and practices the study proposes that Mount Mabo conservation efforts are at odds with local ontologies. While these are central to local residents and their practices of world-making, such ontologies occupy a marginal role in conservation project planning, design, and implementation, amid conservationists' attempts to mobilize local residents' alliance in nature protection. These observations draw from and reinterpret contemporary scholarship on political ecology, political ontology, Africanist thought, and decolonial theory, in that they account for different ecological practices and concepts that are linked to practices of wealth redistribution, recognition of other non-modernist ontologies and their colonial legacies. The study proposes that understanding and accounting for these differences and the ways they are made to endure or resisted could help in finding alternatives conducive to ensuring both ecological and local residents' wellbeing in ways that advance decoloniality in Mozambique.

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This work provides an alternative theory of gendered consumption that explains chronic and situational shifts in consumers' preferences for masculine, feminine, and androgynous choices, beyond the effects of gender identities.

The purpose of this study was to explore the question of poor representation of women in science and technology in two academic institutions of Rwanda. Those are the National University of Rwanda (UNR) and Kigali Institute of Science and Technology (KIST). By exploring institutional factors underlying the said question, the study has complemented previous works on the same subject, which placed an emphasis on social, economic and cultural factors. Data were collected through archival exploration, in-depth face-to-face interviews and focus groups discussions. Exploration of archives was mainly based on gender policies existing within the concerned institutions, and their compliance with Rwanda national gender policy. Access of women to science and technology, and their participation in these areas were the key elements that guided the exploration of relevant policies and various discussions with participants. In-depth interviews were conducted with men and women teachers at the concerned academic institutions and high government officials from the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, and Rwanda Parliament. Focus group interviews targeted men and women students from the third year level of study and above from the concerned areas. Discussed questions were given in an open-ended form. Through the exploration of existing policies and thematic analysis of qualitative data, the study revealed three main areas of gender inequalities. Those are decision making, infrastructure and academic cultures. It was found that the poor representation of women in decision-making affects the rest of these areas and their interconnectedness proved to be the key explaining the under-representation of women in science and technology. The study concludes that in the current form, the concerned institutions are embedded with forces that contribute to women's discrimination, especially in the areas of science and technology, which remain the preserve of men. It gives recommendations on how to address gender inequalities in the highlighted areas.