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Women in higher education : an analysis of narratives on gender in the workplace

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The aim of this study is to evaluate the extent to which women in higher education
experience or are aware of possible limitations placed on them as women in work contexts
that historically were the domain of men only. The research critically analysed semistructured
interview responses from seven female participants from a South African
university. The analysis aimed to investigate the participants’ individual and shared
perceptions and to present a view of how they discursively construct their own experience
within an academic work environment.
The research draws on theories and methodologies developed within critical discourse
analysis (CDA) in order to interpret the data. This study draws on Gee’s model of CDA, which
conceptualises discourse as inherently political and ideological, and therefore seeks to make
clear the discursive connections between discourses and the sociocultural, historical and
institutional contexts in which it is created and interpreted. Thus, a close analysis of
discourses provides insight into aspects of social reality, including how individuals construct
themselves and their personal experiences, as well as their attitudes and assumptions about
their social contexts. The study reveals that during their narratives the women participants addressed similar
issues and themes relating to gender in an academic work place. The participants also used
similar linguistic and discursive strategies to construct their narratives. Subsequent to an
analysis of the data using Gee’s model of CDA, it was found that the participants do
experience limitations in the workplace, but they did not always directly attribute these
limitations to gender. After a final analysis of the ways in which participants express
attitudes to the issues being addressed, the study finds that the participants are not often
aware of dominant ideologies related to gender, or of how the ideologies affect their
experiences. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die doelwit van hierdie studie is om die mate waarin vroue in hoër onderwys ondervind of
bewus is van moontlike beperkings wat op hulle geplaas word as vroue in
werksomstandighede wat geskiedkundig deur mans domineer word. Semi-gestruktureerde
onderhoude met sewe vroulike deelnemers by ʼn Suid-Afrikaanse universiteit word krities
ontleed. Die ontleding is daarop gemik om die deelnemers se individuele en gedeelde
waarnemings te ondersoek, asook om die diskursiewe vertelling van hul ervarings uit te
beeld.
Teorieë en metodologieë wat ontwikkel is in kritiese diskoersanalise (CDA) word gebruik om
die data te interpreteer, terwyl daar spesifieke gebruik gemaak word van Gee se model van
kritiese analise. Gee se model konseptualiseer diskoers as inherent polities en ideologies en
poog daarom om die diskursiewe verbande uit te wys wat vorm tussen diskoerse en
sosiokulturele, geskiedkundige en institusionele kontekste. Dus, ʼn noukeurige ontleding van
diskoers bied insig tot aspekte van die sosiale werklikheid, insluitend hoe individue hulself
en hul persoonlike ervarings, en hul houdings en aannames oor sosiale kontekste opbou. Die studie toon aan dat die vroulike deelnemers soortgelyke kwessies en temas, met
betrekking tot geslag in ʼn akademiese werksplek, tydens hul onderhoude bespreek het. Die
deelnemers het ook soortgelyke taalkundige en diskursiewe strategieë benut om hul verhale
te struktureer. Na ʼn ontleding van die data met behulp van Gee se model van kritiese
analise, is daar gevind dat die deelnemers wel beperkings in die werksplek ervaar, alhoewel
hul die beperkings nie altyd direk aan geslag toegeskryf het nie. Na ʼn finale ontleding van
die maniere waarop deelnemers hul houdings teenoor die kwessies uitbeeld, het die studie
gevind dat die deelnemers dikwels nie bewus is van die dominante ideologieë wat verband
hou met geslag nie, of hoe hierdie ideologieë hul ervarings beïnvloed nie.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/86557
Date04 1900
CreatorsDe Wet, Maryke
ContributorsBernard, Taryn, Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of General Linguistics.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageEnglish
TypeThesis
Format199 p.
RightsStellenbosch University

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