Journal of Social Work in Developing Societies

Table of Content

2024-02-26T12:23:37+00:00

Ageing PLC

2024-02-26T12:04:10+00:00

“Older people are vital, contributing members of our society. They work, volunteer, and raise young people. They hold our nation’s memory and are a deep repository of the rich traditions and cultures that make our nation diverse and vibrant. The abuse or neglect of any one of them diminishes all of us” – Kathy Greenlee, United States Assistant Secretary for Aging and Administrator, Administration for Community Living

Work-Life Conflict and Health Care Delivery

2024-02-26T12:07:48+00:00

Healthcare workers are life savers. Their contributions to development are highly valued. However, given the nature of their job, it has become a hurdle managing paid-work and social life. Informed by the spillover and boundary theories, we examined how healthcare workers manage their paid work and their social lives leading to an influence on healthcare delivery in the Cape Coast Metropolis, Ghana. This was a quantitative study where a survey protocol was used to elicit data from 112 healthcare workers. The study found that female healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict more than their male counterparts. Both junior and senior healthcare workers experienced work-life conflict given the demands of their work. Younger healthcare workers expressed higher work-life conflict while the married juggled between these two domains because of extra responsibilities. The study concluded that paid work has interfered with the social lives of healthcare workers due to rigid work schedules, just as the lack of logistics and modern technology at the health facilities have foiled healthcare delivery. The study recommends that the Ministry of Health should resource social workers so that they can render adequate support to healthcare workers to ease work-life conflict and enhance healthcare delivery.

Partner Violence against Women in Zimbabwe

2024-02-26T12:11:12+00:00

This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of partner violence against women (PVAW) in Zimbabwe, with a specific focus on the districts of Zvimba and Karoi. The research utilized a mixed-method approach, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methods to gather data. Questionnaires were used to collect information, while focus group discussions (FGDs) and in-depth interviews (IDIs) provided valuable insights from participants. The findings revealed that the overall prevalence rate of PVAW was 63.5%. More specifically, sexual, economic, physical, and emotional partner violence against women were prevalent at rates of 18.5%, 37.1%, 43.3%, and 46.1% respectively. The results highlight the significant violation of human rights that PVAW represents and emphasize the urgent need for comprehensive legal frameworks to address this issue. Although laws such as the Domestic Violence Act and the ongoing consideration of the Women's Anti-Discrimination Bill exist to address PVAW, their implementation and enforcement are hindered by various challenges. This study underscores the importance of strengthened coordination among different institutions and emphasizes the necessity of education awareness, transparency, and accountability in the implementation and enforcement of these laws. Efforts should be made to strengthen legislation that criminalizes all forms of partner violence and ensures the protection of survivors.

Perceived Importance of Social Support on Undergraduates' Academic Resilience in a Nigerian University

2024-02-26T12:14:52+00:00

Academic success is critical for young people's effective development. Students who perform well in school are better prepared to enter adulthood and attain occupational, social, and economic success. The study aimed to provide fresh insights into how social support might assist university students in sustaining their interest in academics, and more importantly, drive them to excel academically while dealing with psychosocial difficulties at a Nigerian university. A qualitative research methodology was used. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 students from varying departments. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The findings of the study indicated that social support is highly valued among Nigerian undergraduates, with practical benefits of increased motivation and better grades. Furthermore, it was observed that family tradition, students' attitudes towards learning, as well as social support, were seen as important factors to consider while attempting to improve undergraduates' academic success. The study recommended that interventions targeted at boosting undergraduates' academic resilience should emphasize the relationship between social support and the learners' attitude towards the learning processes. We also urge various university administrations, social workers, and other stakeholders to provide more opportunities for students’ socialization, expand support services, and ensure that students have access to mental health counselling and other forms of psychological support.

Building a Nexus between Feminist Perceptions and Gender-based Violence

2024-02-26T12:17:08+00:00

The study sought to interrogate men and women’s perceptions of feminism and build a nexus between those perceptions of Gender-Based Violence. Gender-based violence manifests as physical, social, emotional and psychological violence among people especially when interlinked with feminist discourse. The study was carried out utilizing the mixed methods paradigm. One hundred males and 100 females took part in the quantitative study while 4 focus group discussions were conducted with 40 persons and 20 semi-structured in-depth interviews. Findings from the study show that 76% of respondents from the study recognise the concept of feminism as the fight for equal rights, 12% as the empowerment of women, 6% acknowledged it as a move to take over the roles of men while the other 6% understand feminism as a move to ensure that women make decisions normally made by men. Forty percent of the respondents stated that the call for equality breaks families apart, 27% of the respondents indicated that feminism unites families while the other 20% indicated that feminism is a necessary evil. As such, this article recommends the alignment of feminist discourses to indigenous practices in a manner that does not seek to disrupt the social order of African society.