Browsing by Subject "career"

Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Investigating post-apartheid black workers' barriers to career progression and the role that the intersection of race and gender plays in shaping their experiences in the banking sector
    (2023) Khunyana, Siphenathi; Tame, Bianca
    This study explores workplace barriers that black women encounter in the post-apartheid banking sector in relation to their career progression from junior and mid-management levels to senior leadership roles in the banking sector. The study used a qualitative research approach with semistructured interviews to understand the lived experiences of black women in the banking sector. Data was analysed thematically, drawing on intersectionality and post-colonial theory to understand the challenges that impede career growth and transitional experiences of black women. The key findings are that the perception of intergroup racism in the Western Cape maintains racial divisions among black women and further blocks black African women from easily moving up the career ladder. African women are less privy to internal information about career progression and earning potential, with intergroup racism adding to this racial, often gendered wage-gap divide. The study revealed that many black women lack strong mentorship and coaching guidance to prepare them for senior and leadership roles. This is contrary to whites and their male colleagues who rely on old forms of networking that keep them ahead of women in advancing their careers in the bank because the banking culture remains male oriented. In relation to the male-oriented organisational culture, work-life balance stood out as a key barrier for black women's career progression because many struggled to balance work pressures with household commitments. For example, black women felt that they had to choose to first grow their families and later take on demanding work commitments. However, their white and male colleagues had access to departments such as investment banking that allowed them to juggle family and work remotely, which points to the intersection of gender, race and class in limiting black women's opportunities in the banking sector. As such, thisstudy argues that race and gender, in the context of a historically white male dominated sector, remained central as barriers to advancement to mid-managerial and senior positions in the banking sector. This study therefore advocates for black women's experiences to be central to any intervention that seeks to deracialise and invest in black women's career progression in the banking sector.
  • No Thumbnail Available
    Item
    Open Access
    Perceptions and experiences of Southern African women in IT careers
    (2026) Siwale, Kaluwa; Rivett, Ulrike; Mwalemba, Gwamaka
    The growing importance of having diverse workforces in the jobs of tomorrow reflects a need to understand the gender gap in STEM on the African continent. While most literature highlights the participation and advancement of African women in IT, little has examined their persistence in the field and how their experiences affect their careers. This qualitative study aimed to understand how the experiences of Southern African women in IT influence their careers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Southern African women in the IT industry at different career stages. Grounded in the theory of African feminism and abductive reasoning, the findings showed key insights: with agency as a key element, the women create or engage in collaborative support systems which facilitate their careers while also navigating gendered societal expectations. This allows them to practice resilience and persist in their IT careers. The participants' experiences illustrate the key values of African feminism: collaboration, negotiation, and agency to persist in their IT careers, demonstrating resilience and adaptability in balancing the demands of their professional and personal lives. The study highlights that women actively participate in their career decisions, using agency as an important tool and various resources to feel empowered. While recognising and acknowledging the challenges they are facing, the women also see their career journey as rewarding and are demonstrating self-confidence. This research contributes to existing knowledge on African women in STEM and offers a different lens to view African women in the IT workforce: Resilient and not defined by the challenges they experience.