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Industrial Organization and Labour Studies

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Browsing Industrial Organization and Labour Studies by Author "Govender, Jayanathan Perumal."

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    An investigation into the challenges confronted by long-distance female truck drivers in South Africa.
    (2021) Maphumulo, Zipho Brandon.; Govender, Jayanathan Perumal.
    There are many professions which have historically been dominated by males, and long-distance truck driving is a case in point. This notion is supported by Naysmith and Rubincam (2012) who stated that the long-distance truck driving profession is very much dominated by males and that has been the case for many years. However, in recent times an increasing number of women have been steadily entering this profession and Reed and Cronin (2003) concurs with this statement by stating that a growing number of women in Western nations like the United States of America have been entering this profession in the past few decades. Moreover, this trend has transcended to developing nations like South Africa as the country has seen an increasing number of women entering the sphere of long-distance truck driving in the last decade. However, many issues arise as a result of the under representation of women in the long-distance truck driving profession. When elaborating further on this, Sicard (2012) stated that since women are still a minority in this sector, they are then exposed to a lot of challenges; it is those challenges experienced by those women working in this very male-dominated sector that this study will be seeking to uncover. Some of the structural barriers within this profession have not been removed and consequently result in some of the challenges that long-distance female truck drivers experience, as identified by (Naysmith and Rubincam, 2012). Furthermore, this study was conducted as a secondary research whereby useful literature exploring the role of women in the transport sector was consulted and then carefully analysed employing Content Analysis. Interestingly, it discovered that women working in the transport sector all share similar challenges in their line of work as they are a minority in this sector. This research established that female long distance truck drivers, female taxi drivers and female bus drivers face the similar challenges within their respective professions in South Africa. The challenges of work-life balance, sexual harassment, health and safety being the very common ones. Lastly, in South Africa the legislation governing the workplace protects the rights of women and labour laws like the Employment Equity Act of 1998 motivates for their employment into previously male dominated industries like long distance truck driving. Therefore, this makes the South African long-distance truck driving sphere more favourable for women to achieve their professional aspirations and for this reason we are more likely to witness them entering this profession in huge numbers every year.
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    An investigation of the role of migrant entrepreneurs in job creation in the hairdressing industry: a case study in Pietermaritzburg KwaZulu-Natal.
    (2023) Chibambo, Sibusisiwe.; Govender, Jayanathan Perumal.
    Immigrants may be found more proportionately amongst the self-employed because they may be excluded from more formal wage opportunities, hence they may be driven into self-employment and forced to become creative and problem-solving. African Migrants may be found within the informal sector. A conducted in the city of Johannesburg concluded that migrant SMMEs played a role in changing the economy of the city. Therefore, we may assume within the same setting that numerous employment opportunities are being created by African migrants within the informal economy. The study was conducted in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal Province. Data was collected through purposive sampling which enabled an in-depth investigation. The data collected answered the research questions of 1) What motivated male migrants to leave their country of origin and migrate to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, 2) Why do male migrant select the hairdressing industry in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, 3) When migrant hair salon owners hire South African women does this serve as a counterfeit against migration issues and/or municipal regulations (due process) and 4) What present and future threats have the participants experienced or foresee happening? The study adopted an explorative process of which aimed at understanding why male migrants hire South African women in the hairdressing industry. The study examined the role played by migrants in the informal economy and their contribution towards employment within the hairdressing industry.
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    The rise of the female entrepreneur: liberation through escaping various gender-based limitations faced by working class women in South Africa.
    (2020) Herbst, Denika Lorraine.; Govender, Jayanathan Perumal.
    Female entrepreneurship has been noted as a potential solution for economic instability, unemployment and inequality in developing counties like South Africa, by numerous researchers and theorists. Women have been undermined as a result of patriarchy and women in South Africa even more so due to apartheid. South Africa is currently facing alarmingly high rates of unemployment (29%) and disturbing, frequent occurrences of discrimination, and the economy is crumbling as a result. With women making up around 51% of the total population, and around 43.8% of total employment in South Africa, and considering the current state of South Africa, it is time their value and impact is noted. Currently, only 9 out of every 100 women in South Africa are involved in total early-stage entrepreneurial activity, a shocking statistic. One study found that prospective female entrepreneurs in South Africa have the ability to create over 972,000 jobs, over 803,000 new businesses and inject over R175billion into the South African economy, in just five years. Female entrepreneurship can potentially put an end to unemployment, rid the workforce of discrimination and stabilize the South African economy. This study identifies the motivators and intentions of female entrepreneurs in South Africa as well as the potential female entrepreneurism holds to create social and organizational change. A descriptive quantitative study was conducted on 58 respondents who filled out a five section questionnaire specifically designed to gain a base knowledge of information on female entrepreneurs in South Africa. The data was analysed and processed using Statistical Package for Social Science version 26 to gain insight into the positive effects of female entrepreneurship in South Africa. The empirical research methodology performed included descriptive statistics, cross-section analysis, and analysis of variance to identify the positive effects female entrepreneurism has n South Africa and the untapped potential it possesses to create change. A strong impact entrepreneurship has on liberating women from working class limitations as well as the ability it possesses to create social and organizational change, has been highlighted throughout the findings of this study. It is recommended that this area be further studied in order to harness these aspects to create social and organizational change for all.