Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa

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dc.contributor.advisorFrankental, Sallyen_ZA
dc.contributor.authorArcher, Sarahen_ZA
dc.date.accessioned2014-09-26T07:17:45Z
dc.date.available2014-09-26T07:17:45Z
dc.date.issued2008en_ZA
dc.descriptionIncludes bibliographical references.en_ZA
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation investigates the relationships between domestic workers and employers, as reported by employers, concentrating on food provision as a central dimension. It applies anthropological and sociological approaches that include 10 focus group discussions, 171 completed questionnaires (open- and closed-answer questions) and 10 home observation sessions. The employer sample group is almost exclusively white, middle class, female, English-speaking, tertiary educated residents of Cape Town, South Africa. The research starts from the premise that domestic employment Is an illuminating sphere for analysing the intersection between race, class and gender at the present time in South Africa. It argues that, through an examination of the domestic worker employment relationship, particularly when viewed through the lens of food provision, It becomes possible to judge the extent to which these relationships have changed since the end of apartheid. The research shows that, while a proportion of individual relationships have changed in positive ways, many remain determined by the habituated norms and codes of apartheid-era employment. The study found that the relationship is characterised by contradictions in the attitudes and behaviour of employers, exacerbated by ambiguous communication and employer discomfort and feelings of guilt about past, and present, inequalities. Employer unease and discomfort were particularly evident in the company of peers and in relation to the question of employer responsibility towards workers. The study also found that age and income influenced employer attitudes.en_ZA
dc.identifier.apacitationArcher, S. (2008). <i>Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa</i>. (Thesis). University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Social Development. Retrieved from http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7697en_ZA
dc.identifier.chicagocitationArcher, Sarah. <i>"Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa."</i> Thesis., University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Social Development, 2008. http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7697en_ZA
dc.identifier.citationArcher, S. 2008. Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa. University of Cape Town.en_ZA
dc.identifier.ris TY - Thesis / Dissertation AU - Archer, Sarah AB - This dissertation investigates the relationships between domestic workers and employers, as reported by employers, concentrating on food provision as a central dimension. It applies anthropological and sociological approaches that include 10 focus group discussions, 171 completed questionnaires (open- and closed-answer questions) and 10 home observation sessions. The employer sample group is almost exclusively white, middle class, female, English-speaking, tertiary educated residents of Cape Town, South Africa. The research starts from the premise that domestic employment Is an illuminating sphere for analysing the intersection between race, class and gender at the present time in South Africa. It argues that, through an examination of the domestic worker employment relationship, particularly when viewed through the lens of food provision, It becomes possible to judge the extent to which these relationships have changed since the end of apartheid. The research shows that, while a proportion of individual relationships have changed in positive ways, many remain determined by the habituated norms and codes of apartheid-era employment. The study found that the relationship is characterised by contradictions in the attitudes and behaviour of employers, exacerbated by ambiguous communication and employer discomfort and feelings of guilt about past, and present, inequalities. Employer unease and discomfort were particularly evident in the company of peers and in relation to the question of employer responsibility towards workers. The study also found that age and income influenced employer attitudes. DA - 2008 DB - OpenUCT DP - University of Cape Town LK - https://open.uct.ac.za PB - University of Cape Town PY - 2008 T1 - Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa TI - Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa UR - http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7697 ER - en_ZA
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11427/7697
dc.identifier.vancouvercitationArcher S. Employer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africa. [Thesis]. University of Cape Town ,Faculty of Humanities ,Department of Social Development, 2008 [cited yyyy month dd]. Available from: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/7697en_ZA
dc.language.isoengen_ZA
dc.publisher.departmentDepartment of Social Developmenten_ZA
dc.publisher.facultyFaculty of Humanitiesen_ZA
dc.publisher.institutionUniversity of Cape Town
dc.subject.otherDevelopment Studiesen_ZA
dc.titleEmployer perspectives on domestic employment relationships in post-apartheid South Africaen_ZA
dc.typeMaster Thesis
dc.type.qualificationlevelMasters
dc.type.qualificationnameMPhilen_ZA
uct.type.filetypeText
uct.type.filetypeImage
uct.type.publicationResearchen_ZA
uct.type.resourceThesisen_ZA
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