Women's empowerment in the post-1994 Rwanda: the case study of Mayaga Region
- Authors: Hategekimana, Celestin
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Women in development -- Rwanda , Women -- Rwanda -- Social conditions , Women -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:9068 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1314 , Women in development -- Rwanda , Women -- Rwanda -- Social conditions , Women -- Economic conditions
- Description: This research looks at the process of women’s empowerment in post- 1994 Rwanda, with special focus on twelve cooperatives working in Mayaga region and the way these cooperatives empower women, their households and the community at large. Traditional Rwandan society has been always bound by patriarchy which has not valued the reproductive roles of women as economically productive in their households and the society as a whole. On the one hand, this understanding was reversed in the post-1994 Rwanda by the commitment of the government to gender equality at the highest level of political leadership through progressive policies and legislation. On the other hand, in Mayaga region, cooperatives brought about socio-economic development and changed relationships of gender and power in a patriarchal post-conflict society. The findings from cooperatives in Mayaga region show that to prevent women from reaching their full potential is economic folly. If women are empowered, they can generate important development outcomes such as improved health, education, income levels and conflict resolution. The findings further indicate how women’s empowerment is determined by the livelihood strategies women adopt themselves to respond to their vulnerability, and by the ways in which they express their agency in making a living in a sustainable way, with the available community assets that they have access to (financial, social, human, natural and physical). This research highlights that the accessibility of the community assets used by women in Mayaga region and in Rwanda as a whole is also determined by policies, institutions and processes that are able to influence their livelihoods positively.
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- Date Issued: 2011
A phenomenological investigation of a female leader's perceptions and experience of discrimination in the work place
- Authors: Mabovula, Nonceba
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sex discrimination against women , Sex discrimination in employment , Women -- Employment , Sexual division of labor , Women -- Economic conditions , Sex role in the work environment , Leadership in women
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1699 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003582 , Sex discrimination against women , Sex discrimination in employment , Women -- Employment , Sexual division of labor , Women -- Economic conditions , Sex role in the work environment , Leadership in women
- Description: Women are now making their mark in virtually every economic sector including traditionally male strongholds of engineering, heavy transport, construction and manufacturing. Probably the most spectacular progress by women has been in the public sector. Many women now have voting rights, follow careers which demand that they work outside of the home, enjoy professional status equal to their male compatriots, occupy top leadership positions in their societies and, furthermore, fulfil their traditional roles of wife and mother. The present study is an attempt to explore a female eader’s perceptions and experience of discrimination in her place of work. The problem has been that although there have been significant changes in women’s increased representation in recent years, it is believed that women who succeed in obtaining top management posts still have to deal with unfair barriers. These need to be more carefully explored and understood. In this study I focus on one female leader’s perceptions and experiences of leadership in an institution of higher learning. The advantages and disadvantages of such a small case study are discussed later. A phenomenological approach was used for obtaining information pertaining to the phenomenon “female leadership”, because phenomenology does offer ways of understanding not offered by other research methodologies. It enables the researcher to enter the lived world of the researched, and understand events and perceptions from a fresh point of view. A semi-structured interview was used to allow the respondent freedom to elaborate on responses in whatever manner she wished. The results obtained indicate that women are in a life-world in which, apart from the general experiences shared with their male counterparts, they are also exposed to many other forms of discrimination. Some of these are subtle, and result from years of socialisation into perceived gender role expectations. I hope that what I have discovered may help to contribute to the small but growing body of literature that seeks to understand women leaders’ experiences, and perhaps in time play a role in enhancing their relative position in education and society at large.
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- Date Issued: 2003