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Submission information
Submission Number: 26
Submission ID: 767
Submission UUID: fcd0d539-dbe3-4fba-8dc6-2574a46e395f
Submission URI: /2025/abstracts
Created: Mon, 04/07/2025 - 10:22
Completed: Mon, 04/07/2025 - 10:25
Changed: Sun, 06/08/2025 - 17:34
Remote IP address: 192.96.15.32
Submitted by: Anonymous
Language: English
Is draft: No
Current page: Complete
Webform: Abstract
Presenters
Ms.
Madikizela-theu
Busisiwe
Nelson mandela university
Mrs. Busisiwe Madikizela-Theu holds a Bachelor of Social Work from the University of the Free State and a Master of Social Work from Nelson Mandela University. She is currently a Social Work PhD scholar at the University of Fort Hare, specialising in community engagement, Shared Value, Value Co-Creation, and the Sustainable Development Goals, and was awarded the DVC-Research Partnership and Innovation Grant. Mrs. Madikizela-Theu has three years of experience in higher education, serving as a Lecturer at Nelson Mandela University. She also serves on the advisory board for UFS's Social Sciences faculty and the Young Social Workers Network, with 15 years of government and NGO sector experience.
Yes
Prof.
Keet
Annaline
Nelson Mandela University
Prof. Annaline Keet holds a PhD in Social Work and is currently the Director of Health Sciences Learning & Teaching in the Department of Social Development Professions. With extensive experience teaching at both pre-and post-graduate levels, she has supervised numerous PhD and Master’s students. Prof. Keet has also collaborated with various South African institutions as an examiner and external moderator. She previously served as the Head of Department at the University of the Free State. She has served as a member of the Executive Committee of ASASWEI and the South African Council for Social Service Professions (SACSSP). Her research interests include social marginalisation, cultural trauma, employee wellness, and the decolonisation of the social work curriculum, with a focus on qualitative research.
No
Abstract
Performing Resistance: Feminist Approaches to Young Women’s Empowerment in Contexts of Patriarchy and Environmental Precarity
THEME 5: Feminist Perspectives and Environmental Justice
Sub 5.2 Feminist approaches to green social work.
Oral Presentation
This paper critically examines the intersection of feminist theory and green social work by exploring how socio-environmental conditions shape young women’s lived experiences in South Africa, particularly within intimate relationships. Grounded in Judith Butler’s concept of gender performativity, the study interrogates how patriarchal ideologies and entrenched gender norms operate across both private and public spheres, constraining young women’s autonomy and limiting their access to social, economic, and environmental justice. By situating young women’s vulnerability within a broader framework of intersectional oppression—spanning gender inequality, economic dependency, and environmental marginalisation—the paper adopts a feminist lens to expose how structural injustices produce and sustain disadvantage.
The study asks: How do patriarchal norms and gendered socio-cultural expectations within intimate relationships contribute to young women's marginalisation in conditions of economic and environmental precarity, and how can feminist-informed social work respond to these challenges?
Employing a critical ethnographic approach, the study engaged 15 young women aged 18–24 from the Rise Out of School Prevention Programme in Qheberha to explore how societal expectations shape their agency—particularly in relation to sexual negotiation, freedom of movement, and relationship-based decision-making. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed how gender roles are internalised and performed in ways that reinforce marginalisation, with economic dependency intensifying their vulnerability to gender-based violence and environmental insecurity.
By advancing feminist approaches to green social work, the paper highlights the urgent need for practice frameworks that are intersectional, justice-oriented, and ecologically conscious. It proposes educational and policy reforms that centre feminist values, ultimately offering social workers and policymakers tools to confront intertwined gender and environmental injustices affecting young women in marginalised communities.
Key Words: Gender Performativity, Feminist Social Work, Environmental Precarity, Transactional Relationships, Young Women’s Empowerment
The study asks: How do patriarchal norms and gendered socio-cultural expectations within intimate relationships contribute to young women's marginalisation in conditions of economic and environmental precarity, and how can feminist-informed social work respond to these challenges?
Employing a critical ethnographic approach, the study engaged 15 young women aged 18–24 from the Rise Out of School Prevention Programme in Qheberha to explore how societal expectations shape their agency—particularly in relation to sexual negotiation, freedom of movement, and relationship-based decision-making. Thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews revealed how gender roles are internalised and performed in ways that reinforce marginalisation, with economic dependency intensifying their vulnerability to gender-based violence and environmental insecurity.
By advancing feminist approaches to green social work, the paper highlights the urgent need for practice frameworks that are intersectional, justice-oriented, and ecologically conscious. It proposes educational and policy reforms that centre feminist values, ultimately offering social workers and policymakers tools to confront intertwined gender and environmental injustices affecting young women in marginalised communities.
Key Words: Gender Performativity, Feminist Social Work, Environmental Precarity, Transactional Relationships, Young Women’s Empowerment
Reviewer ONE Feedback
Dr
Marinei
Herselman
Yes
Empirical Research
Pending Review
Reviewer TWO Feedback
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Pending Review