Comparative analysis within emergent categories

The researcher will now present a comparative analysis of the responses of the interviewees in terms of the emergent categories.

5.8.1 Development of Women

The women interviewed all held the belief that more could and had to be done by the organisation regarding the development of women. Three of the participants made particular reference to a woman’s development programme that the organisation had previously introduced. This programme had a major impact on their careers. Interview Participant 6 felt that the leadership development course helped her and provided her with the stepping stone and “nudge” that she required in her career. It gave her the confidence to consider a new role with different challenges. Interviewee 003 said that she had attended a development programme specifically designed for women managers and this helped her immensely in her career. She had designed the similar programme for the current organisation, however it was not implemented as the programme did not get final approval from the senior leadership of the organisation.

Interviewee 003 believed that a structured development of women was slow and this was hindering the progression of women in the organisation. Interviewees 003, 005 and 006 strongly believed that having an accelerated development program for women would assist with career mobility within the organisation.

Interviewee 007 strongly believed that the way in which women present themselves impacts on how they are viewed and in turn, treated in the organisation. All of the participants felt that self-confidence was a key tool for all women to have. It provided them with the ability to deal with difficult situations and make difficult decisions. They also all felt that self-development was important and that women had to take control of their careers. Interviewee 005 strongly advocated for self-development. She created her own personal development plan when she joined the organisation and did her own skills audit to assess her strengths and what she needed to work on.

Six of the seven participants indicated that they had role models/mentors outside of the organisation who assisted them in their career development. These individuals were both genders. They provided practical tools, lessons and guidance that have assisted the women in growing their careers and in forging ahead despite challenges.

Interviewee 002 stated that she could not identify with any females internal to the organisation as a mentor or a role model.

5.8.2 Discriminatory policies against women

Three of the seven women interviewed had to resign from their respective organisations due to falling pregnant. This was the rule that organisations had in that period of time in South Africa. There was no policy or legislation guiding this and there was no maternity leave. Interviewee 007 had to resign twice in her career due to being pregnant. Interviewee 002 had to resign and when she was rehired it was not at the level in which she had been in prior to her resignation, she had to come in at the lowest level that women occupied in the organisation. This delayed her progression in the organisation. When Interviewee 007 had to resign, she and other women in the organisation started a paper action protest and eventually got the organisation to implement maternity leave for women.

“… it was because there were only old men in management, and nobody cared if women got leave or not…..”

Interviewee 007 also experienced gender discrimination when her husband was promoted ahead of her even though she had more experience. She subsequently resigned from that organisation providing them with 24 hours’ notice. She also stated that when she had joined the current organisation, there was a uniform policy that only applied to women that she found very discriminatory.

5.8.3 Gender role stereotyping

Of the seven participants, six had related incidents where they had experienced challenges due to gender role stereotyping. Women, according to them, are perceived to be inferior to men. The role of a woman in certain cultures is to stay at home and

serve your family and husband. Interviewee 002 stated that “…males have egos….in certain cultures women are not seen as equals.” This view is replicated in the workplace and makes it difficult for women to progress. Interviewee 003 revealed that in her culture the role of a woman was to stay at home. Women had to live by an unwritten rule book. They had to sacrifice their aspirations for others in their family to thrive. In many instances it was their husbands or in some instances their children and even siblings. Interviewee 004 refused to be treated differently. She related an incident where she was given ear plugs in a meeting with the management team of a previous organisation because they used foul language in the meeting.

“.. I passed the earplugs back to him and said I did not think I would need these if they did not need them. He (the CEO) then turned to the others and said you see you should all thank her as it is because of her there will be no swearing in this meeting.”

Interviewee 007 was told “je is haarkat” (Afrikaans slang) you are stubborn when she asked whether males would be given preference for promotion during an interview for the current organisation.

Interviewee 003 stated there was a lack of belief in the capabilities of women in the financial industry. This sentiment was shared by Interviewees 004 and 005 who said the industry was dominated by males both locally and internationally. They experienced a completely male-filled room when attending conferences or senior meetings on behalf of the organisation. Interviewee 006 said that males viewed women as being emotional and thus did not have confidence in them. They (the men) also felt that women played too many roles, namely, that of a wife, mother and sister, to fully focus and be good at their careers.

5.8.4 Influence of family and personal culture

Interviewees 001, 003, 004, 005 and 007 said that they had strong family ties. They come from close-knit families and their family experiences and upbringing had influenced who they were today. Interviewee 001 said:

“I grew up in a small mining town, youngest of three daughters. We were all girls, so we had a very strict upbringing, very strict Afrikaans upbringing. I am giving you that context so that you can see, I think it plays a role in the future in how you respond to certain things as well.”

Interviewee 005 was strongly influenced by her personal circumstances and the teachings of her mother. This provided the basis for the decisions in her life and the societal commitments she has today. She strongly believes in developing people and making a difference in their lives.

5.8.5 Influence of mother as a role model

Interviewees 005 and 007 stated that their mothers were their role models. They had a strong influence on how they conducted their lives, the decisions that they took and how they progressed in their respective careers. Interviewee 005 had this to say about her mom and how this influenced who she is today:

“…our circumstances were so different and my mom for instance would just give away everything to the point where I once said to her I did not know how her head worked?

You just gave all our food away so what are we going to eat? And then she said I am going to teach you a lesson, a very valuable lesson and I want you to always take this with you…… and this shaped my life basically because that’s how I find myself now.”

5.8.6 Knowledge of environment

Interviewee 006 said that knowing her environment enabled her to “manage” difficult managers and thereby successfully navigate her career. Interviewee 002 said that knowing her environment enabled her to progress in her career as she was able to adapt to it. Interviewee 005 said you need to know your environment if you want to engage with people successfully and if you want to progress in your career.

5.8.7 Leadership style

The essence of the findings here was in the organisation where a male leadership style existed. This style was not conducive to the progression of women in the organisation. The leadership style was so strong that even females in management adopted this style and were thereby not supportive of other females in the organisation. Interviewee 005 said that characteristic of the male leadership style, men think in terms of “I” and in women leadership style, women think of the “we”. She further explained that while the CEO might have a specific stance on transformation and the advancement of women in the organisation, his subordinates did not follow the same example and thus hindered the progress of women in the organisation.

Interviewee 006 believes that women are better leaders due to their unique leadership style. Interviewee 007 reveals that women get “sucked in” the way things are being done and become “yes” women in order to succeed in their careers. They have tried to change the culture of the organisation to facilitate a more conducive leadership style but have been unsuccessful thus far.

5.8.8 Organisational culture challenge

In the organisation the culture that exists is strongly influenced by the dominant male leadership style. The participants therefore revealed that they did not experience an organisational culture that was conducive for the advancement of women in the organisation. Interviewee 002 experienced two different organisational cultures in the organisation. This was due to her roles in different divisions. In the one instance you have an organisational culture that supports women’s career progression and provides opportunities for that progress and on the other hand there exists a total lack thereof.

She does admit that some progress has been made to provide “one” culture and this was viewed by her as being the change that the first female CEO brought to the organisation due to her leadership style. Women leaders are isolated as they are few and far between and are not included in social gatherings or networking sessions by their male colleagues.

Interviewee 003 states that some managers are not comfortable with transformation and thus are unable to relate to their subordinates. People operate in silos and do not communicate with each other. This leads to lack of clarity and direction. Interviewees 004 and 005 believe that the current organisational culture must change for the future generation as they (future generation) will demand it.

5.8.9 Personal attitude

All of the participants said it was their own attitude that assisted them in handling challenging situations and take the road less travelled in some cases. Interviewee 001’s most challenging decision was due to her belief in herself and her attitude. She moved out of her comfort zone and took a responsibility where the path forward was not very clear. Interviewee 002 never took no for an answer. Where she experienced challenges, she forged ahead in spite of them and made the things work for her. For example she hired a “house mom” to provide her with necessary support. She did short courses because she lacked formal qualifications in order to close the qualification gap.

Interviewee 003 made the best of her background and missteps and built a career and life that she was proud of. She has a “take no prisoners” attitude and this has helped her to navigate through a career that was very male-dominated and where male colleagues fought her every step of the way. Interviewees 004, 005 and 007 have the same personality and attitude.

Interviewee 004 believes as a women you have to work twice as hard. One barrier she identified is that some women are not prepared to come out of their status quo. Some women are prepared to accept the status quo. They need to step out. She had to be aggressive and took charge. She refused to be treated differently. “What we allow as women hinders our progress”. She believes that comes off as rude because she is straight forward. She is not diplomatic.

Interviewee 005 has a strong sense for self-development. She has confidence in herself. She puts herself first. People in her life, shape her life, they are who she can learn from. “I stand for what I believe in”. “It is about me and what I want and nobody is going to determine where I want to get”. Strong personality. Her attitude gets her where she wants to go.

Interviewee 007 always had a tough attitude. She worked with her husband at the same organisation in the same line of work. She resigned with 24hrs notice as they gave a promotion she felt was due to her to him. This was male discrimination to her.

She started a paper action for maternity leave for women. “I fought very hard for this.

There were only old men in management. There were no women in management at that stage”. When it was eventually approved she did not benefit form the result but other women did.

Collectively, these are just some of their comments:

 Lack of self-confidence does not help when you deal with strong male colleagues.

 Self-confidence assisted in career progression.

 Has to move out of comfort zone.

 Personal attitude assists in career growth.

 Self-confidence, self-motivation assisted in advancing career.

 Personal attitude assists in career growth. Took charge of own career.

 Women must challenge the status quo. Had to become aggressive and took charge.

 Strong personality. Support of mentor. Having a career plan.

 Must have the right attitude. Know what your career plan is. Move out of comfort zone.

 Personal accountability and attitude influenced progress.

 Personal attitude - have to speak up for yourself.

 No-nonsense attitude. Did not take discrimination lying down.

 Tough personal attitude.

5.8.10 Role of education

The consensus among participants 001, 003, 004, 005 and 006 is that a formal education has a positive impact on one’s career.

Interviewee 002 and 006 indicated that the lack of formal education hindered their career advancement. This was due to the lack of financial and family circumstances.

To compensate for this lack of formal education, these two individuals took short courses. However, they believe from their experiences, if given the opportunity and choice again, they would have liked to have gotten a formal education. Participant 6 believes education is essential to career progression. It provides an equal footing with male counterparts.

Interviewees 001, 003, 004 and 005 have all completed formal degrees, either full- time or while they were working. Interviewee 005 is the only participant to complete her degree full-time. She has a degree in Commerce. The organisation she was in at that time also afforded her opportunities to take courses and do a management development programme. She strongly advocates for continuous learning for the next generation of female managers. She is currently financially supporting six students.

Interviewees 001, 003 and 004 all completed their degrees part-time. Interviewee 001 received a bursary for teaching. However, in her third year she left her studies and began working because she felt that teaching was not for her. While working, she studied and got her degree as well as a post-graduate degree. She feels that this

formal education coupled with her work experiences has assisted her in making the career moves she wanted to, and in growing in the organisation.

Interviewee 003 started working after she finished matric and then a year later went back to full-time studies. Another year later, she left her studies and began working again. She continued to study while working and got her formal qualification. She believes that future women managers must study and know their subject matter since that is the only way they will have a holistic knowledge of the role in which they are.

She is currently working on an accelerated development for young people and women.

Interviewee 004 confides that she took a misstep in her studies. She grew up very poor and knew there was no money to further her studies. So in her matric year, she changed her grades to standard grade and soon after realised what a mistake she had made. She had to wait until she was 23 years old to apply to a university as she did not pass with an exemption due to her having standard grade subjects. She took short courses unit she was 23 years old and then registered for her degree. She believes very strongly that education is the key to a successful career and life. She is currently assisting her foster children with this.

5.8.11 Supportive working environment

While Interviewee 001 has had a very supportive manager in the past, in her current role she feels very isolated. The environment in which she currently is, is cold and distant. People are hesitant to talk to her due to her new role.

Interviewee 002 views the organisation as providing a supportive working environment in terms of the study aid that is offered by the organisation, and flexibility that she was offered in her previous division. However, this flexibility is not visible in her current role.

In her current role she also feels isolated as she believes people work in silos. She thus is finding the environment very challenging. She has worked in two different divisions and has thus experienced two different environments, although it is the same organisation. This, for her, reveals the inconsistencies that exist in management styles and adoption of policies and procedures.

Interviewee 004 has always worked in a male-dominated environment and has not experienced it as being supportive. She has had to make her own way forward and change the environment where she could.

5.8.12 Work - life balance

All the participants believe that achieving a work life balance is possible if you work smartly and have the right support structures. Interviewee 001 indicated that she initially felt guilty because she could not give her family her dedicated time. She made use of her support structure and set rules for herself that allowed her to achieve a healthy relationship between the two. For example, when she is at work her focus is there. When she is with her children she does not attend to work matters. Interviewee 002 hired a “house mom” to ensure that the home and children were taken care off.

This also enabled her to have a social life. Participant no. 5 does not feel guilty now when she works long hours as her children are older. However, when they were younger, her husband helped out to enable her to do things she needed to.

5.9 Conclusion

In this chapter the narrative as told from the perspective of the interview participants themselves were presented. The researcher presented this narrative comparatively with the emerging categories. In Chapter 6 the coding process that was applied in the form of open, axial and selective coding that was used to derive the emergent and common themes from the raw data gathered from the explorative interviews will be

presented. The major categories will be presented and these will be expanded further to detail why they emerged as major categories according to the responses from the

presented. The major categories will be presented and these will be expanded further to detail why they emerged as major categories according to the responses from the