The study investigated the extent to which male and female employees of a University differ in various attributes and attitudes and in the level of satisfaction with the type of work they do, and further established factors that might help explain these differences. A stratified random sample of 360 academic and administrative staff of the University of Botswana was collected. Findings indicate that differences between males and females in the level of satisfaction were due to certain negative work experiences such as gender discrimination, tribalism and racism, nepotism and favoritism, and due to certain sources of stress from the immediate supervisor, demands of work on private life and from domestic responsibilities. These negative experiences contributed to lower levels of satisfaction among women than among men. Considering all factors that might explain different job satisfaction among employees at a university, five attributes stood out as significant, namely: belonging to an older age group; understanding the competing demands of teaching and research responsibilities; taking advantage of technological advancement at work; perceiving equity in the distri-bution of the workload; feeling that there was always enough to do at work
Anxiety and depression commonly co-occur during pregnancy and may increase risk of poor birth outcomes including preterm birth and low birth weight. Our understanding of rates, patterns, and predictors of comorbid anxiety and depression is hindered given the dearth of literature, particularly in low- and middle-income (LMI) countries. The aim of this study is (1) to explore the prevalence and patterns of comorbid antenatal anxiety and depressive symptoms in the mild-to-severe and moderate-to-severe categories among women in a LMI country like Pakistan and (2) to understand the risk factors for comorbid anxiety and depressive symptoms. Using a prospective cohort design, a diverse sample of 300 pregnant women from four centers of Aga Khan Hospital for Women and Children in Pakistan were enrolled in the study. Comorbid anxiety and depression during pregnancy were high and numerous factors predicted increased likelihood of comorbidity, including: (1) High level of perceived stress at any time point, (2) having 3 or more previous children, and (3) having one or more adverse childhood experiences. These risks were increased if the husband was employed in the private sector. Early identification and treatment of mental health comorbidities may contribute to decreased adverse birth outcomes in LMI countries.
Organizational commitment is a major determinant of organizational effectiveness and desirable employee attitudes and behaviours. Highly committed academic staff are the backbone of universities since they play an important role in the success of their institutions. This study investigated factors associated with organizational commitment among academic employees of a university in Botswana using a representative sample of 165 respondents. The study also sought to develop a parsimonious model that can predict organizational commitment among academic employees in Botswana. The results show that about 3 out of 5 academic employees sampled showed evidence of commitment to the university, regardless of their socio-demographic or socio-economic background. The study found 11 factors that were associated with commitment to the university. Most of the factors that affected organizational commitment involved decisions and actions that were directly or indirectly at the disposal and control of the management. The single most important factor that predicted commitment to the university was acceptance of the new criteria for the assessment of academic staff, followed by perception of opportunities for research.
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