A framework for gender employment equity within an engineering environment.
Ngobeni, Elizabeth Kedibone
Ngobeni, Elizabeth Kedibone
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Abstract
Since gender employment equity remains a global challenge, specifically within the engineering sector as a traditionally male domain, the study aims to develop a framework for gender employment equity within an engineering environment context by enhancing talent management, organisational culture and employment legislation implementation. The purpose of the study is to determine whether organisational culture, talent management and employment legislation are possible solutions to address gender employment equity challenges within the engineering sector. A survey-based quantitative research methodology, within a positivism research paradigm, was employed. The respondents comprised a purposively selected sample of 143 engineers, obtained through Consulting Engineering South Africa (CESA) from different engineering companies across South Africa. A total of 81 males and 62 females participated in the study through the LinkedIn platform, due to Covid-19 challenges. This reduced biasness by gathering both male and female perceptions regarding gender employment equity challenges within the engineering sector. Cronbach alpha was used to determine the internal consistency of the questionnaire. Measures of gender employment equity (.941), organisational culture (.943), talent management (.966) and employment equity legislation (.942) were surveyed via the questionnaire on the sample. Findings from the survey show that experiences regarding gender employment equity, talent management and employment legislation were mostly positive. However, concerns were raised on issues related to organisational culture, namely competitiveness within the environment and the high levels of control in the environment. Respondents viewed collaboration, teamwork, mentoring and support as a more conducive environment for perceived gender employment equity. Opportunities for growth, as well as succession planning, role division and salary disparities were also highlighted as areas of concern related to talent management. The proposed framework argues that perceived gender employment equity could be meaningfully enhanced by proper talent management practices and policies, specifically with reference to talent development, a supporting and collaborating organisational culture and the effective implementation of employment equity legislation.
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Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Technologiae: Human Resources Management in the Department of People Management and Development, Faculty of Management Sciences at the Tshwane University of Technology.
Date
2024-02-05
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Tshwane University of Technology
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Keywords
Employment legislation, Engineering sector, Gender employment equity, Talent management