Women Leaders in Local Government in South Africa: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities
| dc.contributor.advisor | Pillay, Pregala | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.author | Adams, Kay-Dee | en_ZA |
| dc.contributor.other | Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. School of Public Leadership. | en_ZA |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-05-12T09:48:31Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-05-12T09:48:31Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-03 | |
| dc.description | Thesis (MPA)--Stellenbosch University, 2025. | en_ZA |
| dc.description | Adams, K. 2025. Women Leaders in Local Government in South Africa: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch Univeristy [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/2ca6c6ab-4b28-4498-b2da-8b2d7e85882c | en_ZA |
| dc.description.abstract | Although South Africa has witnessed a number of women being appointed in the local sphere of government, the underrepresentation at both the senior and middle-management levels persists. As the lowest sphere of government, it is mandated to adapt to and implement all national policy directives including gender equality (Mpofu, 2021). Local government provides a great window of opportunity to rectify the imbalances of the past and to empower women because they are affected the most by poverty due to inequality. The government formulated a comprehensive legislative framework, which mandates that women be empowered as well as participate in their own development. Although several pieces of legislation have been implemented to empower women, none have produced the anticipated outcomes. Hence, it can be inferred that women continue to be considered inferior to occupy senior management and leadership positions in local government compared to men (Mpofu, 2021). The adopted qualitative research methodology sought to explore the trends, challenges, and opportunities related to women in leadership roles at the local sphere of the South African government. Furthermore, the extent to which existing processes enable active participation in municipal systems including viable alternative interventions to reinforce the process was also investigated. The data was gathered from the two case studies, namely, Drakenstein and Stellenbosch Municipality. Purposive and convenient sampling was utilised to conduct semi-structured interviews with four (4) senior participants in senior management positions from both municipalities and online surveys were completed by twenty-nine (29) women in administrative positions at the Drakenstein and Stellenbosch Municipalities. The findings of this study revealed that historical norms, a lack of gender sensitivity, and the notion of male dominance is still embedded within the local sphere of government. However, bot the Drakenstein and Stellenbosch Municipalities are taking strides forward by implementing existing employment and gender equality policies and processes to allow so that women can have an equal opportunity to occupy senior management positions. On an individual level, as emerged from The online surveys and interviews revealed that four prominent elements are required which would motivate more women to pursue leadership positions at the local sphere of government, for example, through mentoring, access to information, networking, and training. According to the reviewed European studies, this model can be referred to as the MINT-model. Public awareness and acceptance of gender representation on a societal level could enhance representation of women in leadership positions and political life in local government. Existing studies have revealed a gap in the prioritisation and scrutiny of the extent to which current legislative frameworks and strategies include equality and equity to enable women to participate in governance in senior leadership positions. This study examined existing policy framework of the participation of women in local government and insight gathered from local officials in top management positions. It is recommended that current mechanisms and alternative new strategies be strengthened so that women can be represented through a multi-faceted approach including more supportive organisational cultures; enforce institutional and legal frameworks; establish mentorship and networking opportunities; promote education and develop skills; and change the perception and acquire the buy-in from their male counterparts. This could enable a cultural shift in terms of the role of gender within the local sphere of government in South Africa and society as a whole. | en_ZA |
| dc.description.version | Masters | en_ZA |
| dc.format.extent | 116 pages | en_ZA |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/131998 | |
| dc.publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.rights.holder | Stellenbosch University | en_ZA |
| dc.title | Women Leaders in Local Government in South Africa: Trends, Challenges and Opportunities | en_ZA |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_ZA |