No strangers to adversity: Resilience-promoting practices among South African women child protection social workers

Globally the well-being of child protection social workers (CPSWs) is placed at risk by the taxing nature of their profession. In response, there have been international calls for the prioritization of CPSWs’ resilience. Despite the call to enhance the resilience of CPSWs, to date, only five research studies have explored resilience processes in CPSWs. In this article, we present findings that describe resilience-enhancing practices in the lives of 15 South African CPSWs who were considered resilient. They were recruited by means of snowball sampling and engaged in in-depth interviews. Findings reveal that the overall well-being and functioning of these 15 South African CPSWs are endangered by several occupational risk factors including work pressure, inadequate professional support, financial strain, challenges unique to CPSW such as removal of children and exposure to aggressive clients, and emotional exhaustion. Their resilience was informed by four differently weighted but interrelated resilience practices: practice- and purpose-informing creeds, support systems, constructive transactions, and accentuating the positive. These practices are potentially useful to contribute to the body of knowledge on CPSWs’ resilience as well as to the development of resilience-enhancing guidelines and subsequent intervention programmes with the purpose of protecting CPSWs globally and contributing to efficient service delivery. However, given the dynamic nature of resilience, continued explorations of CPSW resilience processes in different cultural contexts are needed.

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Gendered Lending Practices: Enabling South African Women Entrepreneurs to Access Start-Up Capital

Journal of Enterprising Culture ◽

10.1142/s0218495814500137 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 22 (03) ◽

pp. 313-330 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Evelyn Derera ◽

Pepukayi Chitakunye ◽

Charles O'Neill ◽

Amandeep Tarkhar-Lail

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

South African ◽

Women Entrepreneurs ◽

Financial Institution ◽

African Women ◽

Future Research ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Start Up ◽

South African Women ◽

Depth Interviews

This study explores gendered lending and marketing practices of start-up capital to women entrepreneurs in South Africa. A multi-method research design, comprising of 6 in-depth interviews with experts, and a survey of 50 women entrepreneurs was adopted using convenience and snowball sampling techniques, respectively. The findings revealed that women entrepreneurs are experiencing gendered discriminatory practices embedded in lending practices used by financial institutions, thereby discouraging them to venture into non-traditional industries. Whilst financial providers may know their products well, many emerging women entrepreneurs in South Africa may find it difficult and costly to obtain information on the thousands of financial products available. Hence, women entrepreneurs resort to taking greater risks than necessary in order to get their businesses off the ground. Educating women on financial matters is extremely important if South Africa is to benefit fully from the untapped entrepreneurial talent that women possess. The study adds voice to the discriminatory lending practices faced by women entrepreneurs in developing countries. Future research could explore the feasibility of establishing a financial institution which caters specifically for the needs of women.

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NEW MYTHS, NEW SCRIPTS: REVISIONIST MYTHOPOESIS IN CONTEMPORARY SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN’S POETRY

Gender Questions ◽

10.25159/2412-8457/1564 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 52-66

Author(s):

Deirdre Byrne

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Gender Relations ◽

The Body ◽

African Women ◽

Women Poets ◽

Women's Poetry ◽

American Women ◽

South African Women ◽

The Mind ◽

The Way

Considerable theoretical and critical work has been done on the way British and American women poets re-vision (Rich 1976) male-centred myth. Some South African women poets have also used similar strategies. My article identifies a gap in the academy’s reading of a significant, but somewhat neglected, body of poetry and begins to address this lack of scholarship. I argue that South African women poets use their art to re-vision some of the central constructs of patriarchal mythology, including the association of women with the body and the irrational, and men with the mind and logic. These poems function on two levels: They demonstrate that the constructs they subvert are artificial; and they create new and empowering narratives for women in order to contribute to the reimagining of gender relations.

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‘No condom, no sex’: Easy to say, but not possible for all South African women

Health SA Gesondheid ◽

10.4102/hsag.v15i1.506 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 15 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Johanna E. Maree

Keyword(s):

Cervical Cancer ◽

Black Women ◽

Condom Use ◽

South African ◽

African Women ◽

Sex Partners ◽

Snowball Sampling ◽

Data Saturation ◽

South African Women ◽

Self Protection

Cervical cancer is the most common cancer in South African women. The human papillomavirus(HPV) is the biggest risk factor for developing this cancer. However, condom use protects against HPV transmission. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether Black women living in Tshwane, South Africa, were able to protect themselves against cervical cancer by insisting on condom use. The study was exploratory, qualitative and contextual, and a convenience snowball sampling method was used. The sample size was determined through data saturation (n = 20). Selfreported data were gathered by means of interviews, and analysed using Tesch’s approach. Four themes emerged, (1) knowledge of cervical cancer, (2) sexual behaviour, (3) social problems and (4) emotions. The study provided evidence that women were not able to protect themselves from cervical cancer by insisting on condom use. Women lacked knowledge of cervical cancer and did not associate condom use with self-protection against this disease. Most of their sex partners refused to use condoms. Poverty, physical abuse, helplessness and fear prevented women from insisting on the use of condoms. Primary prevention strategies should focus on empowering women to protect themselves from cervical cancer and not leave this important issue to someone who might refuse it.OpsommingServikskarsinoom is die mees algemene kanker in Suid-Afrikaanse vroue. Die menslike papiloom virus (MPV) is die grootse oorsaak van hierdie kanker. Oordraging van die virus kan egter met kondoomgebruik voorkom word. Die doel van die studie was om te bepaal of Swart vroue woonagtig in Tshwane, Suid-Afrika, hulself teen die virus kan beskerm deur op kondoomgebruik aan te dring.Die studie was eksploratief, kwalitatief en kontekstueel en ’n gerieflikheids sneeubal metode het die steekproef gerig. Die steekproefgrootte is deur dataversadiging bepaal (n = 20). Data is ingesamel deur middel van onderhoude en die data is met behulp van Tesch se metode geanaliseer. Vier temas is geïdentifiseer, (1) kennis van servikskarsinoom, (2) seksuele gedrag, (3) sosiale probleme en (4)emosies. Die studie het bevind dat vroue hulle nie self teen servikskarsinoom kan beskerm deur op kondome aan te dring nie. Kennis van die siekte was so gebrekkig dat vroue nie kondoomgebruik met servikskarsinoom vereenselwig het nie. Die meeste van hul seksmaats het geweier om kondome te gebruik. Armmoede, fisiese geweld, hulpeloosheid en vrees het vroue weerhou om op die gebruik van kondome aan te dring. Primêre voorkomingstrategië behoort op selfbemagtiging van vroue te konsentreer. Dit sal voorkom dat vroue van mans, wat hulle die reg kan weier, afhanklik is vir beskerming teen servikskarsinoom.

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BREAST SELF-EXAMINATION AND CERVICAL (PAP) SMEAR TEST: ATTITUDES AND SELF-REPORTED PRACTICES AMONG SOUTH AFRICAN WOMEN

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.89.5.27-32 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 89 (5) ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

KARL PELTZER

Keyword(s):

South African ◽

Pap Smear ◽

African Women ◽

Breast Self Examination ◽

Pap Smear Test ◽

Smear Test ◽

South African Women ◽

Self Examination

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THE SINS OF THE FATHER: GENDER- BASED VIOLENCE IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA

Commonwealth Youth and Development ◽

10.25159/1727-7140/1798 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 57-70 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Lyn Snodgrass

Keyword(s):

South Africa ◽

Black Women ◽

South African ◽

African Women ◽

Gender Based Violence ◽

Political Issues ◽

Race And Gender ◽

Gender Based ◽

And Gender ◽

South African Women

This article explores the complexities of gender-based violence in post-apartheid South Africa and interrogates the socio-political issues at the intersection of class, ‘race’ and gender, which impact South African women. Gender equality is up against a powerful enemy in societies with strong patriarchal traditions such as South Africa, where women of all ‘races’ and cultures have been oppressed, exploited and kept in positions of subservience for generations. In South Africa, where sexism and racism intersect, black women as a group have suffered the major brunt of this discrimination and are at the receiving end of extreme violence. South Africa’s gender-based violence is fuelled historically by the ideologies of apartheid (racism) and patriarchy (sexism), which are symbiotically premised on systemic humiliation that devalues and debases whole groups of people and renders them inferior. It is further argued that the current neo-patriarchal backlash in South Africa foments and sustains the subjugation of women and casts them as both victims and perpetuators of pervasive patriarchal values.

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