Status and Upward Mobility of Female Agricultural Professionals in Swaziland

A study sought to examine the status and upward mobility of female agricultural professionals in the public agricultural sector in Swaziland. The specific objectives were to describe the distribution of agricultural employees by sex; the perceived factors influencing women's occupation of high profile positions in agriculture; and the relationship between selected demographic characteristics of respondents and their opinions on factors influencing upward mobility of women. The study utilized primary and secondary sources of data and in the case of the latter, a mailed questionnaire was administered. The questionnaire was checked for validity and reliability and found to be suitable. Purposive sampling was used to obtain 67 female and 22 male agricultural professionals as respondents. The findings revealed that the visibility of female agricultural professionals was very limited. The market for all positions, including high profile ones, in the public agricultural sector was overwhelmingly dominated by men. There were relatively more women in low and middle profile positions than in high profile positions. There was unanimous agreement among respondents with regard to factors associated with attitudes of male colleagues, and overwhelming agreement regarding factors associated with employment policies, which influenced the upward mobility of agricultural professionals. There was agreement regarding the majority of the items pertaining to factors associated with educational opportunities and family and society. However, opinion was more or less divided with regard to factors associated with female professionals. The opinions of respondents varied with age with respect to two factors, and with length of service with respect to three factors. Statistically significant differences, based on sex, were detected in the opinions of respondents regarding factors in three out of five domains. The need for a gender and women's policy to address imbalances arising from the male-female dichotomy in employment was recommended. (Review of Southern African Studies: 2000 4 (1): 42-64

Reasons for Poor Visibility of Women in Science and Science-Related Careers in Swaziland

A study sought to examine the visibility of women in science and science-related careers in Swaziland. The specific objectives were to describe the cultural and traditional barriers to participation of women in science and science-related careers; and to identify factors associated with the occupation of high profile positions by women. The study utilized the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) involving 16 purposively selected University student, distributed equally by sex. It also utilized a mailed questionnaire involving a purposively selected sample of 67 female and 22 male professionals in agriculture. The questionnaire was checked for validity and reliability and found to be suitable. The findings revealed that the visibility of women in science and science-related careers is poor and can be attributed to traditional and cultural barriers, which relate, directly or indirectly, to symbolic and verbal acts that women are differentially exposed to in the process of socialization. There was unanimous agreement among respondents with regard to factors associated with attitudes of male colleagues, and overwhelming agreement regarding factors associated with employment policies, which influenced the visibility of agricultural professionals. There was agreement regarding the majority of the items pertaining to factors associated with educational opportunities and family and society. However, opinion was more or less divided with regard to factors associated with female professionals. The need for a gender and women's policy to address imbalances arising from the male-female dichotomy in employment was recommended. UNISWA Research Journal of Agriculture, Science and Technology Vol. 4 (2) 2000: pp 181-18

"LAND REFORM, IDEOLOGY AND URBAN FOOD SECURITY: ZIMBABWE'S" THIRD CHIMURENGA

This paper is used to comment on the political, legal and ideological struggles between the Zimbabwean State and an alliance comprised of the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFU) and the British Government over the country's land reform and the theoretical context in which these processes may be situated. A related and equally important objective of the study is to understand how ordinary Zimbabweans construe the impacts of the unfolding dynamics on their livelihoods. The study examines the mechanisms, which both the State and the alliance have used to manipulate land reform in pursuit of their various ideological and political objectives. Finally, it explores how these strategies are being interpreted by the urban poor in the local discourse of food insecurity. These issues are all contextualised in terms of what a former Zimbabwe cabinet minister describes as the "Third Chimurenga", a reference to the country's first two agrarian/liberation struggles or "chimurengas". Copyright (c) 2007 by the Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG.