Carrots or sticks? A study on incentives to attract and retain women in science, engineering and technology in South Africa

Abstract

The study reported on in this article examines the way incentives can be used to attract and retain women and, subsequently, enable them to re-enter the diverse fields of Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) in South Africa. The study was commissioned by the Science, Engineering and Technology for Women (SET4W) committee, which is a permanent national advisory committee of the National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) in South Africa. This study interviewed 45 interviewees located within corporate institutions, government ministries in SET as well as in SET fields in tertiary institutions. The study contributes to a small but growing body of research in the field of women and gender in SET in South Africa and sheds some light on the gendered features of education and the workplace that enable or alienate women in this field.