{"id":{"repo_id":"cape-town","oai_identifier":"oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42151"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/cape-town/oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/42151","repository":{"repo_id":"cape-town","name":"University of Cape Town","base_url":"https://open.uct.ac.za/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa","abstract":"The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented.","abstract_html":"The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Acheampong, Nadine Borkor"],"institution":"Organisational Psychology","degree_name":null,"degree_level":null,"degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Farista, Feranaaz"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025","date_published":"2025","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:58Z","subjects":["Voluntary child-free","child-freeness in the workplace","intersectionality","role theory","workplace inclusivity","South Africa and global South"],"languages":["en"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Farista, Feranaaz"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Acheampong, Nadine Borkor"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2025-11-07T12:21:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2025-11-07T12:21:34Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2025"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Organisational Psychology"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["University of Cape Town"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis / Dissertation"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Masters"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Voluntary child-free","child-freeness in the workplace","intersectionality","role theory","workplace inclusivity","South Africa and global South"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented."]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Farista, Feranaaz"],"dc:creator":["Acheampong, Nadine Borkor"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2025-11-07T12:21:34Z"],"dc:date.available":["2025-11-07T12:21:34Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2025"],"dc:description.abstract":["The rising number of individuals identifying as child-free has sparked a growing interest in understanding this demographic's unique challenges and opportunities. Despite progress in South Africa's equality legislation, child-free black women remain marginalised, frequently confronting stereotypes and assumptions that challenge both their personal and professional identities. This study explores these specific dynamics through semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 22 child-free black women in South Africa, exploring how ‘race', ‘gender', and ‘child-free' status intersect to shape their workplace experiences. All women were formally employed and resided in South Africa, identifying as black, and between the ages of 24 – 38, with at least two years of full-time working experience. Through an intersectional lens and the application of role theory, this paper provides a nuanced perspective on how child-free individuals navigate and negotiate their roles and identities. Thematic analysis was employed to explore the data, delving into participant's insights and perspectives to gain a thorough understanding of their lived realities. The study's findings revealed the opportunities and challenges faced by child-free black women in their workplace. Three key themes emerged that reflected child-free black women's lived experiences in the South African workplace: (1) The availability paradox: navigating time and identity in child-free lives, (2) Redefining family at work: child-free identities within organisational norms, (3) Unseen needs: fostering inclusive spaces for child-free workers. Through these findings, recommendations for improving workplace support for child-free black women are presented."],"dc:identifier.uri":["http://hdl.handle.net/11427/42151"],"dc:language.iso":["en"],"dc:publisher.department":["Organisational Psychology"],"dc:publisher.institution":["University of Cape Town"],"dc:subject":["Voluntary child-free","child-freeness in the workplace","intersectionality","role theory","workplace inclusivity","South Africa and global South"],"dc:title":["Voices from the margins: amplifying the workplace realities of black child-free women in South Africa"],"dc:type":["Thesis / Dissertation"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Masters"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:22:58Z"}