3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions

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    Gender and racial participation in rugby and soccer in secondary schools, South of Johannesburg: a critical study
    (2024) Hapanyengwi, Addmore
    The current study explored and interrogated the status of gender and racial participation in rugby and soccer in Johannesburg South secondary schools in South Africa. This study used constructivism paradigm and exploratory case study design and qualitative semi-structured individual interviews with soccer and rugby coaches and soccer and rugby players in selected secondary schools. Critical social theory and the feminist post structuralist theory were used as lenses for the study. The Foucauldian Discourse Analysis was used to analyse the data. One of the major findings of this study is a concern of hegemonic discourse that was perpetuated by male players and male coaches and was challenged by female players and female coaches who interrogated the state of rugby and soccer in schools.The findings further show the continuation of racial divide between rugby and soccer, because rugby is still perceived as the white middle class male sport and the selection maintains this history. Soccer is perceived as accommodative of females and all races even though is still dominated by black African and Coloured players. The findings highlight family as influential in male and female choices of sports to play, and some female players were motivated by fathers to play contact rugby irrespective of male hegemonic discourse. The family that is active in sport has encouraged participation in either rugby (contact and touch) or soccer, because players grew up participating in some sport since they were young.
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    This way for pain: subculture, witness and tattoo artists in the Northern suburbs of Johannesburg
    (2023) Preston-Monzon, Kristen
    This is a study of women and their experiences working in the tattoo industry by looking at the relations of gender, subculture and white privilege, as well as the location of Johannesburg, where the research is based. White men dominate the tattoo industry in the Northern Johannesburg suburbs of Douglasdale and Blairgowrie. However, this has been changing as the subculture of tattoos begins to become less and less exclusive. As more women and different ethnicities join the evolving subculture that is the industry, you find a pushback by the “classical” ideals propagated by the nostalgia of being the “other” or feelings of rejection from the ”norm.” These feelings have always been a part of the tattoo artist subculture in South Africa. Through formal interviews with tattoo artists and employees at two studios and through observations, note taking and audio recordings, I found that although it is still a field dominated by white men, not only is the field of having and making tattoos itself changing, but it is also becoming more accepted into mainstream society. Here women artists can create their own spaces and become accepted into the industry, even though some still face discrimination and harassment.
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    Train surfing: the Soweto pastime
    (2016-04-08) Moroke, Mapule Sheena
    Train surfing or staff riding has been a part of the South African working-class economic fabric since the initiation of segregation under apartheid. Now within contemporary society the activity has gained great media attention due to the fatalities that are so commonly associated with it. Despite it being a globally and locally longstanding activity it is still an area that is under-researched. The current study was aimed at exploring the growing phenomenon and how it is constructed by youth in Soweto. A total of 32 adolescent boys and girls between the ages of 18 and 21 were recruited from a public secondary school in Orlando West, Soweto, to take part in one of four focus groups. The participants’ responses from the focus group discussions were recorded then analysed using thematic content analysis. Emerging themes, including what it means to be an adolescent living in Soweto postapartheid, what adolescents now consider having fun, and what they consider to be risky behaviour, were explored in the data analysis. In addition, alternative growing phenomena within Soweto were identified, namely biking and drag-racing. Evident from the analysis was the pressure felt and experienced by adolescents, especially by male adolescents within society and the school environment to fit in to popular constructions of a growing adult and the constructions of hegemonic masculinity in contemporary South Africa. It was also found that the train surfing participants used the practice as a means to define their identity as young, black males living in South Africa. However, as much as some of the accounts of the reasons behind risky behaviours were in line with hegemonic constructions of masculinity, also revealed were the alternative and opposing voices which appeared to be tense with emotional, personal and social sacrifices. This fluidity of identity was explored through the various components of identity such as race, class and gender that all interact within the context of Soweto and results in differing adolescent identity constructions, such as, the ambitious and inspired, as well as the risk-taking train surfers who are described as being ‘in limbo’. The research concludes by shifting contemporary understanding of the phenomenon from one of thrill seeking to a performance of identity and masculinity that is influenced by race, class, and gender.
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    The Lotter case : towards a discourse network of female perpetrated killing.
    (2014-07-24) Stead, Morgan
    This research uses trial data to extend previous research by Stead and Howard-Payne (2012) to examine discourse regarding Nicolette Lotter, a convicted female killer, and to proffer a preliminary theory of discursive networks. A discursive analytic approach to, and a Foucauldian Feminist interpretation of, the data was adopted to compare and contrast discursive constructions of the subject produced within the legal and media context in the interest of understanding how hegemonic understandings of femininity continue to be (re)produced in contemporary society. This report argues for a distinction between discursive construction and discursive practice, where the former is show to operate in production of the latter. It suggests further that the discourse produced in the legal context and the discourse produced in the media context align to fashion a discourse network where convergence occurs at the level of construction and divergence occurs at the level of practice. Such a discourse network arising in relation to Nicolette Lotter is shown to foster an understanding of the female killer which contributes to the fortification of gender prescriptions which are of patriarchal orientation in the interests of preserving male dominance and female subjugation.
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    The impact of board structures on intellectual capital performance in South Africa: An empirical investigation
    (2014-03-06) Vermeulen, Katinka
    The well documented agency problem remains an ongoing debate, with the board as a central point of corporate governance providing a control mechanism. The effective composition and functioning of the board is therefore highlighted as being key to overcoming agency‐problems (Hermalin and Weisback, 2003; Adams and Ferreira, 2009). This research report explores the relationship between the structural aspects of the board, including the average age of board members, the size of the board of directors and the specific positions women and ethnic persons hold on the board of South African listed companies, and intellectual capital performance measured using VAIC™ (Pulic, 2000), as well as market adjusted share returns. The population consists of all South African companies listed on the JSE Securities Exchange during 2011 with the final sample consisting of 193 companies after transformation of the data. The results of the regression analyses indicated no significant relationship between intellectual capital performance and board size, or specific positions being held by women or ethnic persons. A significant positive relationship however exists between the average age of the board of directors and intellectual capital performance. As a result, companies may be able to enhance their intellectual capital performance by increasing the average age of their board members. Key words: Board structure, Diversity, Ethnic, Gender, Age, Board size, Intellectual capital, Performance, South Africa.
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    Discursive constructs of abortion amongst a group of male and female students at the University of the Witwatersrand.
    (2014-02-27) Ronco, Chandelle
    Abortion is a very controversial topic and over the years, many different attitudes have been formed around it. Previous studies have looked at people’s attitudes towards abortion in relation to gender, age, race, socio-economic background, religion, education and even marital status. The current study aimed to investigate the change of attitudes that students would have towards abortion given a range of circumstances (from serious to less serious). The role of gender in these attitudes was also looked at. This study conducted two separate semi-structured focus groups for each gender (6 males and 5 females). In the two focus groups, each vignette with a particular circumstance was read out to the students followed by questions. These follow up questions were discussed amongst the students present in the focus group. The responses from the students were recorded using a Dictaphone. From the Dictaphone, the information received from these interviews was transcribed. Thereafter, content analysis was used to analyse the findings which aimed to identify different themes. Following this, discursive constructs around abortion as well as conclusions were formed and discussed.
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    Representations of femininity in Mass Effect 3
    (2014-01-30) Kotsiovos, John
    This research report investigates the representations of femininity in the 2012 videogame Mass Effect 3. Using the work of Antony Giddens, Espen Aarseth, Judith Butler, Tracy Dietz, Henry Jenkins, Maja Mikula and Janet Murray, it sets out a theoretical framework of constructions of gender and proceeds to analyse the game in the light of these. The research focuses on the female protagonist and the way in which an alternate representation of femininity is constructed through her. The research takes into account both the narratological and ludological elements in the game and their impact on her performance of gender. In conclusion, the research suggests that due to interactive properties, videogames offer fertile ground for re-examinations of gender.
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    The perceptions of men involved in a gender-based violence prevention programme at Sonke Gender Justice.
    (2013-08-02) Kaeflein, Mary
    Gender-based violence (GBV) is particularly widespread in South Africa and it is reaching alarming proportions. Violence in South Africa is considered normative. Cognizance needs to be taken of the negative consequences thereof for the lives of men, women and children. Highly publicized acts of violence by men have captured the concern of the country, yet traditional intervention responses continue to focus more on women as victims. This research explored perceptions of non-perpetrating men involved in a GBV gender-based violence prevention programme at Sonke Gender Justice, Johannesburg. A qualitative research approach was used. Purposive sampling was applied when study participants were selected. Twelve participants were accessed from “One Man Can” – a prevention programme at Sonke Gender Justice. All the participants were male and had been involved in the prevention programme since its inception. Semi-structured interviews were used to conduct in-depth interviews. To enhance trustworthiness and rigour, data was triangulated, and in-depth interviews were also conducted with three key informants. The interviews were audio-recorded with the participants’ consent and transcribed verbatim. Thematic content analysis was used to analyze all data collected, resulting in the identification of themes, sub-themes and categories. The data was subjected to literature control against the existing body of knowledge. The research report indicated that there was awareness by participants in the GBV prevention programme of the multiple forms of GBV as well as the interrelatedness of the different forms. Substance abuse was found to both cause and exacerbate GBV. Prevention programmes were acknowledged to be beneficial to participants in terms of the knowledge and skills that were gained. The research study will make a valuable contribution to social work’s understanding of GBV and the positive role men can play in prevention interventions. Subsequently the recommendations indicate that men can be positively involved as partners in raising awareness and development of GBV programmes.
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    Male ballet dancers' gender identity construction : sexuality and body.
    (2012-09-03) Reeves, Megan Moya
    Male ballet dancers are often constructed as being feminine or homosexual (Bailey & Obershneider, 1997; Phillips, 2008), attributes that do not conform to the broader social ideas of what it means to be a masculine male in South Africa. Therefore, the space occupied by male ballet dancers in South Africa is one that contradicts the patriarchal ideas of masculinity and provides further insights into constructions of masculinity that do not conform to essentialist understandings. Therefore, the aim of this research report was to investigate the ways in which male ballet dancers construct their gender identities, sexualities and bodies within this contradictory space. A purposeful sample of four classically trained male ballet dancers over the age of 18 from Johannesburg, South Africa, was invited to participate in the study by means of snowball sampling. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and were examined using narrative analysis. It was found that male ballet dancers construct their gender identities through their bodies by virtue of their performances. They believe that by linking ballet to other masculine activities, such as sport, they can better negotiate their gender identities in a context where their profession is viewed as inferior, feminine and homosexual. The findings of this research have contributed to a better understanding of gender in an alternative domain, where the ways in which male ballet dancers construct their gender identities are challenged.
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    Exploring talk of causality in mothers of anorexic daughters.
    (2012-02-08) Blumberg, Bianca
    This research focused primarily on exploring the talk of mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa, paying specific attention to their emic perceptions of the underlying causes of Anorexia Nervosa. The research sought to reveal the discourses underpinning participants talk. Further, the way in which these discourses serve to construct Anorexia Nervosa in particular ways as well as the function these discourses serve were explored. This study is qualitative and exploratory in design and provides a unique understanding of Anorexia Nervosa in the form of emic accounts gleaned from mothers' own experiences. The findings of this research suggest that mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa primarily reproduce a discourse on the causality of Anorexia Nervosa that is family or biomedically focused. Through analysis of the discourses embedded in participants’ talk, it became evident that participants reproduce discourses of gender and femininity and are influenced by societal pressure as well as the constructions of womanhood and motherhood. Insight into a side of the mother of the Anorectic, often concealed in the literature, was revealed through a semi-structured interview process with nine urban, middle-class, white South African mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa. Interviews were then transcribed and analysed according to Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis. Incorporating the silenced voices of mothers of daughters with Anorexia Nervosa appears to have allowed for the emergence of a more generous view of the mother and has contributed to a larger set of discursive repertoires through which to understand Anorexia Nervosa. This research further gave rise to the realisation of a need for a critical education program whereby taken for granted notions can be revealed and actively engaged. This program would ideally seek to free the anorexic woman as well as the mother from the constraints of the uncritically constructed conceptualisations of Anorexia Nervosa and femininity.
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