Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Current literature reveals that men and women do not participate in the science, engineering and
technology (SET) sector on equal grounds – not qualitatively (access) or qualitatively (ease of
participation). It is important that women have access to and actively participate in science; they make
up more than half of the world’s population and gender equality enhances a country’s economic
growth and competitiveness. Furthermore, the focus should extend further than advocating for equal
access to SET to actively promoting increased participation by women. Women bring a distinctive
quality to SET precisely because of their gender. They are able to increase overall SET participation
numbers and positively contribute to the quality and agenda of science. This study used the pipeline
theory and lifecycle approach as theoretical bases to investigate the causes for unequal participation
and reviewed initiatives aimed at increasing and facilitating the participation of women in SET.
Identified causes include unequal access, male-dominated nature of science, tensions of reconciling
professional and private life, differences in recognition and reward, and lack of female representation
in leadership. The primary methodology used was a documentary analysis study design, consisting
primarily of desktop literature searches and categorization. An initiative summary framework was
used to summarise and code 123 identified initiatives into an initiatives summary database. Findings
were both positive and negative. The study found that women in many cases are on equal footage
with their male counterparts and can manage a healthy work-life balance if provided with the
necessary support but many women still describe a male-dominated work environment that is
exclusionary. Findings indicate that, although decreasing, there is still gender bias in recognition and
reward and that female scientists underutilise financial rewards. Women in SET do not receive equal
pay for equal work and there is a distinct lack of female representation in SET leadership bodies such
as academies of sciences, scientific boards and publication boards of academic journals. The most common modes of intervention are policy interventions, gender mainstreaming, advocacy and interest
groups, and provision of training and support. The majority of initiatives are aimed at bringing about
change at a national/policy level and are driven primarily by government and academia with academia
playing an important middleman role - assisting and guiding government in the design and roll-out of
policies on the one hand and meeting the human resource needs of industry on the other. Although
government and academia have done well in driving initiatives that increase the participation of
women in SET at both school and tertiary level, more needs to be done by industry to drive the
facilitation of participation. There are very few initiatives addressing the retention of women in SET;
this is linked to the lack of attention to returners as a specific target group. The study concludes that
the majority of countries are succeeding in closing the participation gap in terms of access or
horizontal gender equality, but that vertical segregation (focusing on recognition, reward and
advancement), although acknowledged, remains a mostly unaddressed challenge. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Huidige literatuur dui daarop dat vroue en mans nie gelyke deelname geniet in die Wetenskap,
Ingenieurswese en Tegnologie nie – nie kwantitatief (toegang) of kwalitatief (gemak van deelname)
nie. Die belangrikheid van deelname word gesket teen die kennis dat vroue die helfte van die wêreld
se bevolking verteenwoordig en dat lande wat geslagsgelykheid nastreef oor die algemeen hoër
ekonomiese groei en mededingenheid toon. Die fokus in die debat gaan dus nie meer net oor die reg
tot toegang nie maar ook oor aktiewe en gemaklike deelname wat vroue toelaat om juis hul unieke
eienskappe na die wetenskap te bring. Die studie het die pyplynteorie en ‘n lewenssiklusbenadering
as die teoretiese grondslag gebruik om die deelname van vroue in die terrein te bestudeer. Die
navorsing het gepoog om die hoofoorsake vir die relatiewe ongelyke deelname van vroue in die
Wetenskap, Ingenieurswese en Tegnologie te bepaal. Die hoofoorsake is geidentifiseer as ongelyke
toegang, die manlik-gedomineerde aard van wetenskap, die spanning om professionele en
persoonlike lewe te versoen, verskille in erkenning en beloning; en die gebrek aan vroulike
verteenwoordiging in leierskap. Verder wou die studie bepaal watter inisiatiewe in gebruik is vir die
uitbreiding en vergemakliking van vroue se deelname in die veld. Die hoof metodologie was ‘n
dokumentêre analise studie ontwerp. ‘n Inisiatief opsommingsraamwerk is gebruik om die 123
geïdentifiseerde inisiatiewe op te som en te kodeer en is saamgevat in 'n inisiatiewe
opsommingdatabasis. Bevindinge was beide positief en negatief. Die studie het bevind dat vroue in
baie gevalle gelyke toegang geniet en 'n gesonde balans tussen hul persoonlike en professionele
lewe kan bestuur indien die nodige ondersteuning gebied word. Baie vroue beskryf egter nog steeds
'n manlik-gedomineerde werksomgewing. Hoewel die neiging dalend is, is daar nog steeds
geslagsvooroordele in erkenning en beloning en vroulike wetenskaplikes maak nie genoegsaam
gebruik van finansiële belonings wat wel tot hul beskikking is nie. Vroue ontvang ook nie gelyke
betaling vir gelyke werk nie. Daar is 'n duidelike gebrek aan vroulike verteenwoordiging in leierskap soos aangedui in die samestelling van akademies van die wetenskap en die bestuursrade van
wetenskaplike rade en publikasie rade van wetenskaplike vaktydskrifte. Die mees algemene vorme
van intervensies is beleidsintervensies, geslagshoofstroming, voorspraak en belangegroepe, en die
verskaffing van opleiding en ondersteuning. Die meerherheid van inisiatiewe is daarop gemik om
verandering teweeg te bring op nationale en beleidsvlak en word hoofsaaklik gedryf deur die staat en
die akademie. Die akademie speel dan ook ‘n belangrike middelman rol deurdat hul aan die een kant
die regering bystaan in die implementering van beleid en aan die anderkant ook die menslike
hulpbron behoeftes van industrie moet voed. Daar is ‘n leemte by die meerderheid van inisiatiewe in
die aanspreek van die behoeftes van vroue wat wil terugkeer na die veld na ‘n periode van
afwesigheid en aan die retensie van vroulike wetenskaplikes. Die studie kom dus tot die
gevolgtrekking dat die meerderheid van lande en inisiatiewe daarin slaag om meer gelyke deelname
in terme van toegang of horisontale geslaggelykheid te bewerk, maar dat vertikale segregasie (met ‘n
fokus op erkenning, belong en bevordering), nog heelwat aandag moet geniet.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/71861 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Ritter, Monique |
| Contributors | Mouton J., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Sociology and Social Anthropology. Centre for Research on Science and Technology. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 359 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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