3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item An exploration of the career barriers faced by black women in middle management: an application of Schlossberg's Transition Theory(2010-07-16T10:14:48Z) Ramashamole, Maliile AThis study explored the career barriers of black women in middle management through the application of Schlossberg’s Transition Theory. The rationale behind the study was informed by statistics that show that there are few black women in top management, a fact attributable to the double discrimination faced during Apartheid because of their gender and race. The two aims of the study were to explore any career barriers that these women may be experiencing or have experienced as they attempt to advance their careers to top management; and secondly, to explore the coping strategies that these women use to deal with the barriers experienced while attempting to advance their careers. In order to investigate the research questions, nine women who met the criteria of the study participated in semi-structured interviews. The study was qualitative in nature, and the interview transcripts were analyzed through thematic content analysis. The main themes were identified and presented under the 4 S’s: Situation, Self, Support and Strategy. What became apparent from the findings was that the participants were dealing with a dual challenge of gender and race discrimination. They were also dealing with role conflict and other barriers such as politics in the workplace and age discrimination. However, it was found that these women were proactive in confronting their challenges as they engaged in numerous coping strategies including education and social support to cope with the career barriers. Schlossberg’s Transition Theory proved to be an appropriate framework for exploration of the career barriers and thus the application of this theory had implications for theory, organisations and future research.Item Risk factors for endometrial cancer among black South African women: a case control study(2010-04-13T11:32:34Z) Ali, Aus TariqIntroduction: Endometrial cancer is a gynaecological cancer that mostly affects women in their sixth and seventh decades of life. It is the fourth most common malignancy in women and ranks eighth among all causes of female cancer in terms of age-adjusted mortality. In developed and numerous developing countries endometrial cancer, as well as other types of cancer in women, is an ever-increasing threat that may be explained, among other reasons, by increased life expectancy and a reduction in fertility or birth rates. Conversely, in South Africa and most other African countries, the previous reasons do not exist, because there is a decline in life expectancy due to increased HIV, low income, and a high fertility rate. International epidemiological studies have established significant relationships between endometrial cancer and risk factors such as the woman’s age, race, early menarche and late menopause, parity, a history of breast or ovarian cancer, the use of endogenous estrogens, concomitant diabetes, family history of breast and ovarian cancer, estrogen therapy, obesity, and the use of tamoxifen. The aim of the study was to identify risk factors associated with endometrial cancer among black South African women. Method: The present case control study comprised black South African women diagnosed with a cancer in Johannesburg, between 1995 and 2005. The study included 592 women aged 27 to 90 years who were admitted to three main public hospitals in the city of Johannesburg with histologically confirmed cancers. 148 cases with endometrial cancer and 444 women with other forms of cancer were analysed. Only newly occurring cases (incident) were included. Women in the control group consisted of those with V cancers not associated with reproductive or hormonal factors, i.e. not cancers of the breast or the female reproductive system. Data handling, cleaning and analysis were done using Stata 9 (STATA). Results: Univariate analysis showed that the risk for endometrial cancer was significantly (P<0.05) affected by: miscarriages, the place of former residence, place of current residence, the use of snuff, wine consumption, age of the youngest child, diabetes, age of menarche, age of menopause, and menstrual status. Smoking was found to be a protective factor for endometrial cancer compared to other cancers. After multivariate adjustment, endometrial cancer risk was significantly (P<0, 05) associated with miscarriages, age at menarche, and earlier completion of childbearing. Smoking remained a protective factor against endometrial cancer. Conclusion: The current study reports similar results to those observed in other international investigations. The risk of endometrial cancer was higher among women who were older, women who experienced miscarriages, and those who fell pregnant early in their reproductive lives. Smoking was a protective factor against endometrial cancer compared to other cancers. However, comparing the cases of endometrial cancer with smoking-associated cancer controls (i.e. lung cancer, oesophageal cancer, and mouth cancer) might have distorted the results. A more appropriate control group for confirming the relationship between smoking and endometrial cancer would be subjects with no cancer. Also, it will be important to evaluate the risk factors for cancer among the other race groups in South Africa.