Masters Degrees (Sociology)
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Browsing Masters Degrees (Sociology) by Author "De Klerk, G. W."
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Item Open Access The delivery of health care to the farm community in Bothaville(University of the Free State, 2000-05) Janse van Rensburg, Ega; Van Rensburg, H. C. J.; De Klerk, G. W.English: The master plan according to which the ANC government envisages to achieve transformation in the South African health care system, is the implementation of a National Health System (NHS), based on a District Health System (OHS) model, with the primary health care (PHC) policy as its foundation. In the process of implementing the OHS, an important challenge has emerged, that is, to translate provincial policy and administrative reorganisation into real improvements in health care delivery at local level. In order to address this challenge at grassroots level, a pilot programme of "bottomup" support to a selected number of health districts in the country was introduced, i.e. the Initiative for Sub-district Support (ISDS). One of the pilot sites selected for this support programme, is the Bothaville sub-district, which is the geographical location of this study. The study was primarily conducted to supply health care managers and governors concerned with the Bothaville sub-district with needed information on the conditions of the farm community and the delivery of health care. This information should enable them to improve the delivery of PHC and facilitate the implementation of the OHS. This is done by providing a broad explanation of development of the South African health care system with particular focus on policy and organisation; general background information on the Bothaville sub-district; a profile of mobile clinic services; an evaluation of the current system of mobile clinic health care; an explanation of the differences between the previous and the new system (implemented approximately five months prior to thë 'survey); baseline information on the rural community and thëir health status; and an assessment of the perceptions of health care providers concerning aspects of health care , delivery. The overall design of the study is exploratory and descriptive. It consists of a literature study and empirical data. The literature study was conducted to contextualise the Bothaville subdistrict within the ISOS and the broader South African health care context. The empirical study consisted of a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods of data gathering, i.e. a survey among a sample of rural dwellers and interviews conducted among farm school teachers, the professional nurses working on the mobile clinics, and general health care personnel in Bothaville. The main findings of the empirical part of the study include: more than half of the rural dwellers interviewed had never made use of the mobile clinics; information is inadequately disseminated to rural clients; transportation difficulties to mobile visiting points in the new system is a serious constraint; there is a lack of community participation in rural health matters; the promotive and preventative functions of PHC are lacking; a lack of communication and cooperation exist among the different public health services; conflict among health care personnel is rife; integration of services would solve numerous problems; and users of the mobile clinic services are generally satisfied with all aspects of mobile clinic services and appreciate the services. The main recommendations comprise: additional modes of transport for rural dwellers need to be provided; a more effective information dissemination strategy to rural clients is needed; the rural community need to be actively involved in health matters; more emphasis needs to be placed on the preventative and promotive dimensions of PHC; communication and cooperation among public health care workers in the area need improvement; and all the public health care services need to be integrated under one authority. In conclusion, the researcher is confident that the results of the study would supply health workers, managers and governors with ample information to optimise health care rendered to rural dwellers in the area, as well as to assist with the implementation of the DHS.Item Open Access Experiencing stigma: The physically disabled perspective(University of the Free State, 2001-11) Hopkins, Mandy-Liesel; De Klerk, G. W.; Van Vuuren, S. J. E. J.The field of physical disability is a relatively unexplored one. In particular, it is evident that little has been done to attempt an explanation of the reactions of people with physical disabilities to the labels, and consequent stigmas that are applied to them by the able-bodied. It is important to note that whilst people with physical disabilities are generally not considered deviant, many of them experience the same societal reactions to their conditions as other 'deviants' do. This occurrence is probably due to the fact that physically disabled people are seen by society as different, 'abnormal', or even 'deviant'. People with physical disabilities are isolated, stigmatised, segregated and discriminated against as a result of their disabilities. They are however, not intrinsically deviant because of their disabilities, but rather because of the undesirable differences that are imputed to them by society. The presence of a physical disability thus renders the disabled individual 'deviant', partially because of the limitations it imposes upon the person's range of activities and behaviour, but mainly because of the reactions of the able-bodied to the disability. People with physical disabilities are forced to remain socially and economically marginalised, not because of their disabilities, but because of discriminatory and exclusionary attitudes and practices on the part of the non-disabled. People with obvious physical disabilities, such as those confined to wheelchairs, are disadvantaged during everyday societal interaction, unless they constantly attempt to minimise their differences from the able-bodied. In this regard, many of the physically disabled suggested that non-disabled people believed them to innately possess the following characteristics: helplessness, dependency, an inability to take on any responsibility, and a constant need for guidance and supervision. The interviewees maintained that the aforementioned beliefs supplied 'normals' with seemingly legitimate reasons for the stigmatisation of groups such as them. They also noted that many 'normals' felt that they, as physically disabled individuals, deviated from the 'highly admirable state' of physical perfection. The physically disabled are often expected to cope with their limitations in ways not expected of other 'normal' people. In this regard, they are conditioned to 'manage' and 'overcome' their disabilities, to be 'independent' and above all else to be 'normal'. The limitations that result from physical disability, however, .often render these individuals dependent, and therefore deviant, as they are forced to break the norms of adult independence and self-reliance. According to the physically disabled, their disabilities stem from the fact that physical and social environments are designed without any consideration of the needs of particular individuals or groups, and not from their own functional limitations. They therefore maintain that the problems that they encounter in interaction with the able-bodied could be minimised if the latter group was better educated concerning the requirements and 'lifeworids' of people with physical disabilities. In this regard, it is evident that people with physical disabilities have been portrayed as 'flawed able-bodied people' throughout history. The physically disabled however, suggest that although they differ physiologically from their ablebodied counterparts, they are no different from any other 'normal' person. Finally, people with physical disabilities desire the same consideration, social courtesies and acknowledgement as any other 'normal' person, expects and receives. The physically disabled state that the fact that their bodies do not function in the same manner as those of the non-disabled, does not exclude them from assuming any of the roles that they previously held in society, should they choose to. As such, the physically disabled maintain that, given the opportunity, they would gladly take part in all the areas of 'normal' life, and particularly in the employment area. Physically disabled people want to be treated by their nondisabled counterparts as 'normal', they neither require, nor desire 'special' treatment because of their physical limitations.Item Open Access An exploration of the underlying social dynamics that make women vulnerable to HIV infection(University of the Free State, 2002-05) Ackermann, Leáne; De Klerk, G. W.English: In South Africa, as in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS has become a source of national and international concern. After many prevention campaigns and education programmes the viruscontinues to spread at an alarming rate, forcing one to look more carefully at the underlying social organization that could be conducive to the spread of thisdisease. In particular the position of women isbeing investigated in order to uncover the social dynamics that increase their vulnerability to this disease. In the year 2000, almost a quarter (24,5%)of South African women attending antenatal clinics were HIV positive. Physiologically,women appear to be at greater riskof contracting HIV than men. Apart from the physiological vulnerability of women it is important to consider the social aspects that put women at risk.This thesis considers the following social factors that put women at risk: violence against women, rape in particular; the unfavourable economic position of women that threatens the well- being of women as it encourages behaviour that increases the riskof HIV infection: the low educational status of women; a sexual culture which includes practices and expectations that put women at risk. This exploratory study revealed that women lack specific knowledge concerning the disease and hold certain misconceptions about how being in a stable relationship protects one against the disease. Another important finding was that these women, who acquired the disease, were in stable relationships that were generally positive and rewarding and that the overriding motivation to have sex was based on love. This emphasizes the fact that all women are at risk and that the very nature of a stable relationship (that encourages trust and complacency) is what puts women at risk. Some relationships were negative and this involved forced sex. Regarding the non-use of condoms, the main reason cited was that people who trust one another, do not use condoms. Unfortunately the real culture of infidelity coupled with the emphasis on trust (no condoms) was one important reason why these women acquired HIV. In addition to the above, the study revealed that the trans-gender and trans-generational lack of communication regarding sexual matters makes it difficult for women to insist on condom use when they suspect their partners to be unfaithful. This study recommends that action to protect women must be taken on an individual, organisational and ideological level. On an individual level, it is important that all women perceive themselves to be at risk and that they know exactly how to go about protecting themselves. In addition to this, individuals should continuously be motivated to practice behaviour that will protect them from HIV infection. This motivation can come through socialisation agents such as schools, parents, churches and the media. It is also important that women have the power to dictate sexual behaviour. Regarding the organisational level, HIV counselling and anti-retrorviral therapy should be available. Sexually transmitted diseases should be prevented with the help of the health care sector and the mobilisation of organisations that work to combat violence against women. Ideologically, the patriarchal nature of our society must be changed before wide spread behavioural change will occur. The rampant spread of this disease can only be stemmed if the subordinate position of women is acknowledged and addressed.Item Open Access A sociological analysis of industrial action among blue-collar workers at South African universities with reference to two campuses in the Free State(University of the Free State, 1999-11) Motloung, Lekaota Azariel; Heunis, J. C.; De Klerk, G. W.English: In recent years, the South African university sector has come to be characterised by trade union and student backlash. The roots of the crises lie in the need to transform this sector. The acceptability and effectiveness of tertiary education institution rest fundamentally on visible institutional change that parallels the change the country is currently undergoing. One of the flashpoints in the transformation process in this sector has been a wave of industrial action by the blue-collar workers amidst the arbitrary and often paternalistic authority of almost an all white management in virtually all the university campuses nationally. The 2nd of February 1990, however, brought into the scene the whole array of changes that overhauled the draconian-type social policy of the apartheid regime. The constitutional talks in the Convention for Democratic South Africa (CODESA) gave way to democratic elections that resulted in the Government of National Unity (GNU). In the first five years in office, the African National Congress (ANC) led government introduced far-reaching legislative mechanisms including the supreme law of the land, (the Constitution) within which transformation and nation building objectives were envisaged. Part of these vicissitudes relates to democratisation of labour relations in South Africa. Applicable pieces of legislation were accordingly revised. The most fundamental change is the introduction and implementation of the new Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA) which became operational in November 1996. The labour movement and management view these changes differently. The blue-collar workers on the one hand have certain expectations about these changes. They expect that things would change for the better at their respective workplaces/campuses, that their working conditions and security of their jobs would improve. The university management on the other hand views itself as being hard-pressed by imposing government directives that prescribe inflexible preconditions to transform their institutions. The protracted labour disputes and accelerated incidences of industrial action in this sector were largely propelled by abysmal conditions perpetrated by banditry oriented policies of the past system. The current labour disputes especially in the early nineties between the bluecollar workers and management authorities should be seen in this context. This study undertook an investigation, clarification and delineation of the full range of factors (i.e. social, economic, political, organisational, institutional, ete) causing labour disputes and industrial action at South African universities. The _ investigation was performed both through the literature and empirical studies. Two university campuses in the Free State, the University of the Orange Free State (UOFS) and Vista University in Bloemfontein formed case studies for the empirical part of the research. The literature study consists of the reconstruction of the history of labour relations system in South Africa in which the influences that this broad labour relations practice on industrial action -pattern in the South African university sector in particular were evinced. The literature study also covers the historical background of the two case studies as well as background of their labour relations practice. A detailed explication on the objectives of the new Labour Relations Act (LRA) and on how the parties in labour relations practice in this sector would be affected by this law also formed part of the literature study. The main objective of the LRA is to promote productive employment relationships. In the empirical phase of the study, insightful findings regarding labour relations practice were noted on two methodologically relevant case studies, the "historically Black" and "historically White" institutions. The empirical study consists of descriptive and exploratory investigations of the biographical profile of the respondents at both campuses. There has been compelling evidence that generally defines more severe consequences of industrial action in the former category of institutions as opposed to the latter. Although the findings of this study cannot simply be generalised to other campuses, the study provides useful insights that can be drawn to enhance amity in labour relations in the rest of the campuses nationally. The value of the study lies in the sociological contribution it seeks to make in terms of attempting to magnify a deeper understanding of the nature, problems and dynamics of labour relations at South African universities. The study also attempts to make a revelation regarding some of the subtle transformatory factors that have come to riddle labour relations practice in the university sector in South Africa.