Consumption, Waste and the Middle-Class Mindset: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered Attitudes and Beliefs in South African Suburbs

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dc.contributor.authorBorralho, Carina De Freitas
dc.contributor.supervisorIqani, Mehita
dc.date.accessioned2024-07-29T13:16:03Z
dc.date.available2024-07-29T13:16:03Z
dc.date.issued2023-10
dc.departmentDepartment of Media Studies
dc.descriptionA research report submitted for the Degree of Master of Arts in Media Studies at the Faculty of Humanities, School of Literature, Language and Media, at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in 2023.
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation explores the complicated relationship between South Africa’s growing middle class, and their patterns around consumption and waste. Crucially, it identifies who the middle class hold responsible for consumerism and waste management. It also looks at these ideas through the lens of gender to uncover variations in the way different genders perceive and approach consumption and waste. A qualitative approach was used (using interviews, waste diaries, and a survey). Preliminary findings indicate that middle-class white South African women tend to engage in conspicuous consumption, impacting their waste generation. However, women's family-oriented consumption also influences their purchasing and waste habits. Surprisingly, participants viewed women favourably in terms of consumption and waste, despite waste-diary evidence to the contrary. This research contributes valuable insight into consumption and waste as social, cultural, racial, and gendered matters – instead of purely environmental ones. Ultimately, it shows that gender, race and socio-economic class play a role in how much an individual consumes and wastes, and highlights the need for increased education around these topics in South Africa.
dc.description.submitterMM2024
dc.facultyFaculty of Humanities
dc.identifier.citationBorralho, Carina De Freitas. (2023). Consumption, Waste and the Middle-Class Mindset: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered Attitudes and Beliefs in South African Suburbs. [Master's dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/39887
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10539/39887
dc.language.isoen
dc.publisherUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.rights©2023 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
dc.rights.holderUniversity of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
dc.schoolSchool of Literature, Language and Media
dc.subjectConsumerism
dc.subjectWaste management
dc.subjectLens of gender
dc.subjectMiddle-class white South African women
dc.subjectWomen's family-oriented consumption
dc.subjectSouth Africa
dc.subject.otherSDG-12: Responsible consumption and production
dc.titleConsumption, Waste and the Middle-Class Mindset: A Qualitative Exploration of Gendered Attitudes and Beliefs in South African Suburbs
dc.typeDissertation
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