| Summary: | The aim of the study was to apply the Life Design Model (LDM) as a career counselling
intervention to the lives of 10 Swazi women from polygynous family settings experiencing
career development challenges at work. The intervention sought to mitigate the effects of
cultural values associated with polygyny that interfered with career life design choices and
development among employees. Life designing, within this study was conceptualised as the
approaches and strategies utilised by individuals to manage and negotiate their multiple
subjective identities.
This study used a qualitative research method. The 10 Swazi women were selected through
convenience and snowball sampling methods and met the selection criteria of the age range
of 30-45 years, from a Swazi polygynous family setting, were employed or entrepreneur’s,
completed or were pursuing a higher education qualification. Data collection consisted of
qualitative research instruments namely; biographical questionnaire and an individual indepth
interview schedule, which followed the six steps of the Life Design career counselling
intervention Model. Methodology consisted of thematic Content analysis with the Life
Design Model serving as a lens for intepretation supported by literature on Career
development.
Research findings were captured in the following themes, focusing on their effects on career
life design: (a) Swazi culture with sub-theme of cultural expectations, (b) polygynous family
upbringing with subthemes of female parental role and male parental role and (c) career life
design for Swazi women with subthemes of conceptions of work life, adaptability and
concept of self.
Implications of the study refer to the requirement for researchers, career counsellors and
practitioners in the Psychology field to consider the idea that understanding how cultural role
salience and non-salience is significant in the career life design of women as one of the
multiple approaches that can facilitate the process of gender equality and transformation in
the workplace. The application, therefore, of career counselling interventions such as the Life
Design Model presents an opportunity for gaining this understanding from the narratives of
the very clients facing work life challenges and by so doing thus facilitating the
reconstruction of purposeful career identities.
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Key words: Swazi culture, career development, life designing, women, patriarchy, meaning
making, adaptability, role enactment, polygynous family, Life Design Model (LDM).
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