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"Women scientists Education (Higher) South Africa."
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Changing the narrative: Resilience of women in STEM in sub-Saharan Africa and institutional innovations to advance equity
Gender disparities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) remain pronounced in many African countries, particularly at the postgraduate level. This study explores the experiences of African women in STEM postgraduate education by integrating data from an online survey of 163 female PhD alumni from 40 African universities in 17 countries and seven focus group discussions (FGDs) with 39 current postgraduate students across three countries. Through a mixed-methods approach, we examine both the challenges women face and the factors that enable their persistence and success. Over 60% of respondents reported financial stress during their PhD, and more than half felt unprepared at the time of program entry. Yet 95% expressed confidence in their ability to succeed, reflecting strong self-efficacy despite structural barriers. In the FGDs, women highlighted the burden of caregiving responsibilities, lack of role models, and cultural norms that pressure them to prioritize family over academic careers. Contrary to common assumptions, most FGD participants preferred male supervisors, citing competitiveness or lack of support from some senior women. Despite these obstacles, participants demonstrated high levels of resilience, often driven by a passion for science and strong family support. Our findings highlight the need for family-friendly policies, structured and tailored mentoring, and flexible, gender-responsive institutional reforms to ensure more inclusive and equitable STEM postgraduate environments in Africa.
Journal Article
National research foundation celebrates science excellence for development
Knowledge is the currency of a thriving economy. Generating and engaging with that knowledge delivers innovative ideas that empower and sustain nations. That is why the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa annually celebrates the work of our country's finest researchers through the NRF awards. The NRF awards recognise South African scientists for their achievements as indicated through the NRF rating system. In addition to the rating-linked awards, special recognition awards provide a platform to honour researchers for career achievements and contributions to knowledge creation and dissemination, as well as for capacity development and transformation in the National System of Innovation. This year's awards ceremony took place on Sep 1, 2016 in Limpopo. Yet despite their differences, this cohort has something very important in common - without their valuable work, they would not be able to advance humanity's body of knowledge or secure a brighter future for all South Africans.
Journal Article
Conceptualising transformation and interrogating elitism : the Bale scholarship programme
In this article, we consider the extent to which a scholarship programme at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) engages with the challenges of transformation. This scholarship programme highlights the transformative potential of a programme that focuses on excellence for a previously under-represented group, but also demonstrates how this type of programme reaffirms the dominant notion of excellence within the university space, which could be read as a reproduction of inequitable practices. Theoretically, we make use of Bourdieu's concepts of 'field' and 'capital' to understand how a space that is socially elite, such as a university, engages with the issue of change. Transformation efforts such as Bale have meant that previously disadvantaged individuals have opportunities to pursue a university education, these efforts have also served to maintain and perpetuate elitism. This happy \"marriage\" between elitism and transformation ensures that the university remains elite, while simultaneously pursuing demographic equity and diversity. Bale students who successfully complete a university education reap many benefits, through their access to the cultural capital of a Wits degree. However Bale consists of an exclusive group of students who will personally benefit, while the broad interests of a top-notch University are served.
Journal Article