7 research outputs found
Eating from One Pot: The Dynamics of Survival in Poor South African Households, by Sarah Mosoetsa
No full textNot applicable. 
Remote teaching and learning during the covid-19 pandemic: experiences of lecturers and students in private higher education colleges in Johannesburg, South
No full textThe Covid-19 pandemic caused disruptions in higher education in South Africa, with institutions transitioning to remote teaching and learning. Literature reveals that the pandemic affected lecturers' and students’ teaching and learning processes, yet there is limited research examining and comparing lecturers’ and students’ perceptions. Henceforth, this study examined and compared the experiences of lecturers and students on remote teaching and learning during the Covid-19 pandemic in private higher education colleges in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study was guided by the interpretivism paradigm and employed a qualitative methodology to gain an in-depth understanding of the studied phenomenon. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten (10) lecturers and sixteen (16) students. Major findings of this study were that (a) Lecturers and students provided a mixed review of their remote teaching and learning experiences, highlighting positive and negative aspects (b) Some lecturers and students commended remote teaching and learning for its convenience and cost-effectiveness, (c) Lecturers and students also had to confront shared difficulties such as limited internet connectivity or lack of Wi-Fi, communication issues, limited work/study space, and mental health concerns, all of which had a detrimental impact on the quality of remote teaching and learning. Hence, the conclusions and recommendations drawn from this study emphasise the significance of reducing the inequalities in digital access and opportunities in private higher education colleges.M.A. (Sociology)Sociolog
“Sister-Madam and Sister-Maid” : an exploration of the experiences of black women employers and employees in the domestic work sector in rural South Africa
No full textAbstract: Domestic work remains the main source of employment, for marginalised Black women in South Africa. Historically, the domestic work sector involved Whites hiring Blacks as domestic workers. However, the demise of the apartheid system has led to a situation where some Black people also hire domestic workers. The hiring of family members and close friends – as domestic workers – by Black people is an emerging phenomenon in post-apartheid South Africa. However, the employment of kin as domestic workers in Black families is under-researched. Hence, this study focused on family domestic work in rural Limpopo – employing a qualitative and feminist approach to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of Black women performing familial domestic work. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with Black women hiring relatives or family members to work as their domestic workers. The study shows that familial domestic work is motivated by an expectation of reciprocal care among family members. People hire their relatives to receive assistance with domestic duties while the hired kin receive a financial compensation that helps them to provide for their families. Nevertheless, familial domestic work is characterised by challenges linked to the complex status of simultaneously being a relative and an employer/employee. This is because of the intersection of family ties and employer-employee relationships. Consequently, work aspects such as the employment process, contracts, and wages are negotiated in a familial context. Given that sisteremployers and sister-employees struggle to balance family and workplace relations, familial domestic work is characterised by challenges. Silence is employed as a mechanism to deal with these predicaments in a manner that helps to protect the family relation. On the one hand, familial domestic work is broadly humanising the domestic work sector through the harnessing of humane and family principles. On the other hand, familial domestic work symbolises the impact of capitalism on interpersonal relations in Black families, as the reciprocal caring practice is assigned a monetary value.M.A. (Industrial Sociology
Composer avec la relation famille-travail durant la pandémie de Covid-19 : domestiques familiales en région rurale au Limpopo, Afrique du Sud
No full textDomestic work — one of the largest sources of employment
in South Africa — is rooted in the colonial and apartheid era,
during which black women worked as domestic servants for white
families. In contemporary South Africa, however, domestic work is
prevalent in black families, and there is a growing trend towards
family domestic work: family members or close friends working as
domestic workers for kin. Typical challenges in the domestic work
sector include the navigation of employer–employee relationships,
which shape the negotiation of other working conditions. In family
domestic work, the setting is worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic
and implementation of working from home. This paper draws
from 15 semi-structured interviews conducted with black women
working as family domestic workers. The findings suggest that
family domestic work is centred in reciprocal caring — sister-maids
are financially enabled to support families and sister-madams are
assisted with domestic duties. Covid-19 has had an impact on family
domestic work and family–work relationships, whereby sister-maids
had difficulties working in the presence of sister-madams and their
children. Hence, silence is adopted by sister-maids challenged by
working during Covid-19. However, the pandemic also enabled
some sister-maids and sister-madams to grow closer to each other,
which strengthened family–work relationships.SociologyN/
A Quantitative Investigation of Factors Influencing Binge Drinking Behavior amongst Undergraduate University Students in Johannesburg, South Africa
No full textThe paper investigates factors influencing binge drinking behavior among university undergraduate students. Data is drawn from a quantitative survey conducted on undergraduate students’ perceptions of peer pressure, students living arrangement, socio-economic status and binge drinking at a South African university. 330 students participated in the study by completing a paper-based survey. The study found a statistically significant correlation between factors of peer pressure, students staying off-campus, high socio-economic status and binge drinking. Female students engage in binge drinking more than male students. Students with friends who drink were more likely to engage in binge drinking than those with friends drinking less. Students living off campus were more likely to engage in binge drinking of alcohol than those staying on campus. Students with high socioeconomic status were more likely to engage in binge drinking than those with low socioeconomic status. The paper makes an empirical contribution to future studies to explore binge drinking behavior amongst university students.SociologyN/
Private Higher Education College Students’ Experiences of Remote Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Johannesburg, South Africa
No full textThe COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown implemented in March 2020 prompted South African higher education institutions to shift from face-to-face to remote teaching and learning. The sudden transition presented challenges for students in higher education institutions such as universities, but there is limited research examining the perceptions of students in private higher education colleges. Henceforth, this study explores the experiences of students of remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic in private higher education colleges located in Johannesburg, South Africa. Employing a qualitative approach, the study conducted semi-structured interviews with sixteen students from private higher education colleges. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data. The findings indicate that private higher education college students encountered difficulties in navigating remote learningduring the national lockdown due to the intersection of factors, including unstable internet connections and network issues, lack of dedicated study spaces, and insufficient communication and support from lecturers. This article contributes to the body of knowledge on the remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and national lockdown by shedding light on private college students’ experiences
