Women’s prospects for career advancement: Narratives of women in core mining positions in a South African mining organisation

SA Journal of Industrial Psychology

 
 
Field Value
 
Title Women’s prospects for career advancement: Narratives of women in core mining positions in a South African mining organisation
 
Creator Moalusi, Kgope P. Jones, Candice M.
 
Subject organisational theory; career psychology; human respource management Career advancement; women in core mining positions; gender; male domination; working hours.
Description Orientation: Even though there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of women employed in the mining industry, the figures hide many gender inequalities as the gendered impediments to career advancement persist despite South Africa’s remarkable equity policy regime. However, it is unclear, from the perspective of the women themselves, how their career advancement is encumbered.Research purpose: This study reflects on the prospects for career advancement by exploring the work and organisational experiences of women in core mining positions in an open-cast mining organisation in South Africa.Motivation for the study: To reflect on the prospects for career advancement of women in core mining positions.Research approach, design and method: Eight professional women, selected through a purposive sampling procedure, participated in in-depth unstructured interviews. Data were analysed using Creswell’s simplified version of the Stevick–Colaizzi–Keen method, guided by the lens of gendered organisations.Main findings: Three themes emerged: (1) male domination that has marginalised women and compelled them to emulate masculinity has legitimised existing gender barriers, (2) the long, awkward and unpredictable hours of work have deepened women’s time constraints because they have to combine the home or family caretaker role with work, and (3) the essence of being a woman in a mining organisation.Practical/managerial implications: The study may present South African managers with a better understanding of how work and organisational features, policies, daily practices and discourses impede career advancement of women in core mining positions. Organisations should train managers to create conditions that minimise barriers and maximise performance and advancement, and align retention strategies.Contribution/value-add: This study builds on existing knowledge about career advancement of women by providing new and valuable information specific to women in core mining positions in an open-cast mining organisation in South Africa, seen through the lens of gendered organisational theory. The findings highlight the need for organisational theory research that is responsive to the subtle issues and gendered assumptions that sustain encumbrances to women’s career trajectories.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor None
Date 2019-04-15
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Interview
Format text/html application/epub+zip application/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajip.v45i0.1564
 
Source SA Journal of Industrial Psychology; Vol 45 (2019); 11 pages 2071-0763 0258-5200
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1564/2396 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1564/2395 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1564/2397 https://sajip.co.za/index.php/sajip/article/view/1564/2393
 
Coverage — — gender
Rights Copyright (c) 2019 Kgope P. Moalusi, Candice M. Jones https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
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