This qualitative study explores the experiences of Black women in four South African universities located in the Eastern and Western Provinces of South Africa. The study explores how a select group of women have managed to obtain and retain their current positions as faculty, administrators and researchers despite the destructive forces of Apartheid.
The major question posed for investigation was: what social and personal factors have sustained and contributed to the achievement of sampled Black women in South African universities? Areas delineated as important for investigation included family socialization processes, education and employment. An extensive review of the literature including the review of biographies of successful Black women was conducted; the researcher's personal experience as a Black South African woman was also brought to bear upon the study.
Twenty-two women were selected by a referred convenient sampling technique from the four universities identified as sites for the study. The methodology included participant observation and interviews using a questionnaire guide. The findings revealed that no single factor can be isolated to account for the presence of women in the four South African universities. The women identified a combination of the interrelated factors including the receipt of emotional and financial support from their families, as well as the strong education and work ethos that parents imparted and modeled for their daughters. Family strengths emerged as key to the women's achievement such as parents demonstrating resilience and conveying religious values. Parents' financial contribution and availability of scholarships helped women fund their education; availability of mentors, strong friendship networks, and the women's own resilience and determination helped them succeed in higher education. The women have successfully used public means (advertisements) to gain employment in higher education in the absence of the "old boys" network. The majority accepted entry-level positions beneath their qualifications to gain employment. Once employed, women used friendship networks for adaptation and survival in addition to forming new coalitions. The study women demonstrated resilience, confidence, initiative, motivation and aggressiveness in order to survive and succeed in South African universities.
