Gender employment practices amongst small and medium scale enterprises: A comparitive study of different industries in Gauteng
Date
2006-10-30T13:02:21Z
Authors
Onukogu, Chioma
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Abstract
The study investigated gender employment practices and conditions of work among
small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) in Gauteng Province of South Africa. A
comparison of the practices and conditions between productive and service
industries is clearly the major focus of the research. Interviews were conducted on
two productive and two service industries (all private) situated in Benoni and
Johannesburg respectively.
The research found that generally, SMEs, in the productive and the service sectors
contribute to job creation. Evidence shows that women are going into previously
male dominated jobs like electrical and mechanical jobs, but the movement is quite
minimal. This is a sign of progress on the part of women and a shift from the
traditional belief that certain jobs are exclusively meant for men. The study found a
salient discrepancy between the rhetoric of gender equality and the practice of
gender equality in all the industries. There are clear signs that the legislation on
minimum conditions of employment is followed in the productive industries than in
the service industries but both still stick to the traditional gender division of labour.
Description
Student Number: 0304476F
Faculty of Humanities
Maters in Arts
Keywords
Gender, Employment, Small, Medium Enterprises, Productive Industries, Service Industries, SMEs, Job Creation, Gender division labour, Gender equality