Browsing by Subject "wellbeing"
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- ItemOpen AccessInfant wellbeing and monitoring: An observation of the Road to Health Booklet in Masiphumelele(2019) Ngcowa, Sonwabiso; Ross, FionaThe South African government monitors and tracks the health of newborns and the growth of children. The Department of Health (DoH) does this monitoring using the Road to Health Booklet (RtHB). In this dissertation I analyse the use of the booklet in the township of Masiphumelele in Cape Town. The state produced booklet is intended for the child and mother as a patient-held medical health record. Liaw (1993) defines a patient-held record as notes or space provided on a document for the recording of follow up appointments for further investigation by medical doctors. The RtHB is used to record the child’s development, immunisations and HIV related information from birth to the age of twelve years. The dissertation results from ethnographic research with eight black Xhosa1 mothers and caregivers with children under the age of five years old. Mosley, and Chen, (1984), argue that in developing countries where standard child healthcare has been made available, children should survive the first five years of life. In my research, during the period of six weeks between July, August and September 2017, I followed the booklet in to Masiphumelele. From my observation and semi-structured interviews, looking at the state’s role of ‘pastoral’ care, child wellbeing and living in a township, and recording, under the theme of child wellbeing, certain concepts emerged. These concepts were state power, mothering, caring for children, responsibilisation, gender, kinship, fatherhood, child wellbeing knowledge production, social networking. In this dissertation I use ethnographic findings, accompanied by my own personal narratives. I argue that tracking child wellbeing through this booklet, the state exercises what Foucault (1982) referred to as ‘pastoral power’ in ensuring the wellbeing of the populations.
- ItemOpen AccessThe Impact of the Gig Economy on the Well-being of Independent Contractors. A Case Study of Uber, Bolt and Gokada(2022) Egesi, Tochukwu; Meyer, CamilleThe gig economy is a rising global phenomenon in which gig workers provide “alternative work arrangements” for short-term contracts; also known as gigs, primarily agreed upon via digital platforms for various services such as food delivery or transportation. Work in the gig economy is typically on-demand, procured through an online platform, and delivered (and paid for) on a task-by-task basis. It is irregular, uncertain, unpredictable, contingent (i.e.feasible but not guaranteed), and impermanent. Independent contractors, freelancers, and self-employed are the most common terms used by platforms to describe gig economy workers. Consequently, it is vastly different from the traditional economy's demand-oriented, long-termed, and formal structure. Gig workers have access to relatively flexible, potentially self-sufficient labour. Still, they also face issues due to the nature of the work, its precariousness, and their interactions with platform businesses. The influence of the gig economy has primarily been studied using objective indicators such as micro-entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and autonomy. However, little research has been done on the gig economy's impact on workers' well-being in third-world countries such as Nigeria. This research will examine financial, mental, and physical elements of gig workers' well-being. The study aims to better understand the relationship between worker participation in the gig economy and their overall well-being and provide insight into workers' well-being within the Nigerian gig economy.
- ItemOpen AccessTowards a health promoting University: an exploratory study of the University of Cape Town(1999) Mukoma, Wanjiru; Head, JudithDrawing on developments in the public health field, this exploratory study applies the ideas of Health Promotion (HP) to the University of Cape Town (UCT). It defines UCT as a setting within which HP can and should take place. Following the World Health Organisation (WHO), health is seen as encompassing physical, mental, social, and other environmental factors (WHO, 1978). Sociological perspectives that acknowledge the relationship between social action/behaviour and the social context, hence the relationship between students' wellbeing and the UCT environment are employed. Data and information for this study were collected through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and a sample of information gathered by first year sociology students. The fear of failure, housing problems, limited social integration, and availability of cigarettes and junk food on campus were found to be some of the factors that influence and constrain students' weIIbeing. It was also found wellbeing is not an explicit consideration in the university plans and policies, even though implicitly these are meant to enhance wellbeing. Strategies to promote health in UCT need to be guided by a commitment to wellbeing in the university's policies. This thesis recommends that the university be required to pass a 'wellbeing test'.