Historically, patriarchy has manifested itself in the workplace and influenced career opportunities afforded to women in the public sector. The slow progress in the transformation of organisations indicates there is a need for a structural developmental approach for women's career advancement. Mentoring has been recognised as a valuable development strategy and an affirmative action tool that can be used to support and promote women and groups that have been viewed as previously disadvantaged. The aim of the study was to highlight the significance of mentorship as a career advancement mechanism for women in the South African public sector. The study identified dimensions of mentorship (female mentors, career support, mentoring policy and leadership development) and tested the proposed hypotheses to determine whether a statistically significant relationship existed between mentorship and career advancement. A quantitative approach was followed to collect data from a sample of 200 women employed in the public sector in the different provinces of South Africa. Statistical methods used to conduct the data analysis included descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The results indicate that women employees in the public sector view mentorship as an important factor for development; however, the gender of the mentor does not necessarily influence career advancement. Mechanisms to support mentoring have not been established in the public sector, highlighting the urgency for managers in the public sector to ensure that mentorship policies are put in place.

Managing diversity is one of the major challenges in higher education institutions in South Africa. Additionally, effective strategy implementation is vital for an institution to be successful and sustainable. Questionnaires were distributed to the management of Walter Sisulu University, South Africa, to investigate the relationship between diversity factors and effective strategy implementation. The questionnaires interrogated the effect of the acculturation process, the degree of structural integration, the degree of informal integration, institutional bias and intergroup conflict, and how these factors influence strategy implementation. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was employed as the statistical tool to confirm the hypothetical model. Results of this study revealed that there is no statistically significant relationship between diversity and strategy implementation at the institution, and imply that diversity among staff do not impact on the successful achievement of strategic objectives in the institution. The findings of the study are contrary to empirical evidence by other studies.

Previous scholars have emphasised gender inequalities in management and decision-making in a variety of companies. This study aimed to identify and analyse characteristics that may promote women's empowerment and minimise gender inequality in the workplace. A quantitative research method was adopted with strict adherence to deductive design, and a questionnaire was used to collect data from 111 female employees at a company in the polymer industry in South Africa. An inferential statistical method was employed, using regression analysis to test and ascertain the significance of the relationship between five independent variables (information and communication resources; rewards and incentives; autonomy; skills and knowledge; and self-esteem) and the dependent variable, which measures women’s empowerment. The findings revealed a strong, positive significant relationship between the variables. Improving these five independent variables positively predicts an improved pattern of women’s empowerment in the workplace. It is recommended that stakeholders incorporate these independent variables into their human capital management structures to empower women.

There is massive and growing volume of literature on human capital and productivity. However, there is little emphasis on the growth channels of human capital, particularly on women’s empowerment, despite its theoretical underpinning and relevance in the Southern African Development Community (SADC). Understanding the effective channels of human capital is essential for policymakers in promoting sustainable growth and improved welfare. Given this, the study examines the effect of women’s empowerment through the ‘factor accumulation channel’ and the ‘productivity channel’ on SADC using cross-sectionally augmented autoregressive distributed lag (CS-ARDL) and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin non-causality test. Evidence from short- and long-run effects using the CS-ARDL shows that the factor accumulation and productivity channels of women’s empowerment have not benefited productivity growth in the SADC, although causality flows from the human capital indicators to productivity growth. The vital way for policy to boost productivity in SADC is to improve investment in female education and ensure that human capital is appropriately distributed and matches the economy’s dynamic demands. Based on the findings, the study suggests developing a framework to ascertain from time to time the marginal benefits of investment in female education compared to the marginal costs, both at the levels of the factor accumulation channel and the productivity channel in SADC.

The study was motivated by the question of what challenges and enablers women encounter as they progress in their academic careers. A qualitative research method was used. This participatory action research involved 19 members of a South African university’s permanent academic staff who shared their perspectives on women's academic advancement. A literature review was conducted to provide contextual insight. The four key themes that underpinned the data analysis are: factors hindering women's academic careers; challenges faced by women academics; advancing women’s academic careers; and advancing the employability of aspiring female academics. Unfair recruitment processes, intrinsic societal attitudes, low self-esteem and a lack of mentorship programmes were identified as critical factors impeding women's academic careers. Revised recruitment policies, promotion opportunities and support programmes for women are evidenced as critical to advancing women's academic careers. It is suggested that a concerted effort be made by women as individuals, universities and the government to advance women's academic careers.