Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa
| dc.contributor.advisor | Farista, Feranaaz | |
| dc.contributor.author | Acheampong, Nadine Borkor | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-11-07T12:21:34Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-11-07T12:21:34Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025 | |
| dc.date.updated | 2025-11-07T12:15:40Z | |
| dc.description.abstract | The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented. | |
| dc.identifier.apacitation | Acheampong, N. B. (2025). <i>Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa</i>. (). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.chicagocitation | Acheampong, Nadine Borkor. <i>"Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa."</i> ., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology, 2025. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.citation | Acheampong, N.B. 2025. Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa. . University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.ris | TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Acheampong, Nadine Borkor AB - The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented. DA - 2025 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town KW - Voluntary child-free KW - child-freeness in the workplace KW - intersectionality KW - role theory KW - workplace inclusivity KW - South Africa and global South LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2025 T1 - Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa TI - Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 ER - | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 | |
| dc.identifier.vancouvercitation | Acheampong NB. Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa. []. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Commerce ,Organisational Psychology, 2025 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151 | en_ZA |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.language.rfc3066 | eng | |
| dc.publisher.department | Organisational Psychology | |
| dc.publisher.faculty | Faculty of Commerce | |
| dc.publisher.institution | University of Cape Town | |
| dc.subject | Voluntary child-free | |
| dc.subject | child-freeness in the workplace | |
| dc.subject | intersectionality | |
| dc.subject | role theory | |
| dc.subject | workplace inclusivity | |
| dc.subject | South Africa and global South | |
| dc.title | Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa | |
| dc.type | Thesis / Dissertation | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters | |
| dc.type.qualificationlevel | Masters |