South African unemployed female graduates in transit to the market place: does social capital matter?
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Date
2021
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Abstract
The objective of this doctoral study was to investigate the role social capital play in assisting
unemployed female graduates to transit to the job market, secure the type of employment for
which they were qualified, and build entrepreneurship. Twenty-five years into democracy,
young black African women post-graduates face plethora of challenges which are based on
race, class, and gender. Whereas research has showed that pursuing masters and doctoral
studies particularly within the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) increases their social mobility, the research finds that the process of promotion and
securing better jobs for these women has not been consistent. They continue to be discriminated
against by the labour market which is biased towards white and Indian candidates.
In defining the current state of transformation within Higher Education Institutions (HEIs), the
principal research question is Does Social Capital matter? Beyond this institutional
transformation, the study investigates the impact of these policy instruments to the experiences
of women post-graduates within the field of Science Technology, Engineering and
Mathematics (STEM). The theoretical framework of the study is underpinned by the following:
i) the role of grounded theory within the feministic paradigm in emancipating women from the
endocentric tradition of structural functionalism by valuing the women’s lived experiences as
legitimate source of knowledge. ii) The use of the matrix of domination theory to understand
plethora of challenges facing Black African women post-graduates and iii) the equality of
opportunity theory to demonstrate that despite being admitted within the STEM sector, they do
not enjoy equal treatment and rewards for equal performance. A group of more than 50 postgraduate
students across all racial groups was selected within STEM departments in the
University of KwaZulu-Natal using random sampling and semi-structured interviews as part
of the qualitative research method.
The study found that black African women of South African descent face discrimination on
three fronts, namely, race, class and gender which makes them to work trice harder to secure
their position in university, fight for their respect and confidence, and build the necessary
relationships that will enable them to gain successful entry to the ideal job they are qualified
for. Not only is social capital an indispensable asset, but also, it empowers black African postgraduate
women not to be defined by their historical antecedents but the appropriate social
networks and decisions they make.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.