Consistency, Hard Work and Dedication - Key for High Performance Graduate

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Top achiever Ms Amy Wagner has done it again!  Her latest qualification - a Master of Commerce in Economics degree - has been awarded summa cum laude.

This is Wagner’s third degree as she graduated with her Bachelor of Commerce (Economics) degree summa cum laude in 2019 and achieved the same distinction with her honours degree last year.

'Doing my masters meant that I needed to work many weekends and late nights - I even continued with my thesis on my honeymoon,’ said Wagner.

She says her task was made easier because she is passionate about her study topic and enjoyed the full support of her family, supervisors and husband.

'In South Africa, women have on average attained higher levels of education than men,’ said Wagner. ‘Economic theory and previous literature tell us that increases in educational attainment should increase the likelihood of labour force participation. Despite this, women are still less likely to participate in the labour force than men. My research aimed to explore why that is.’

The study, supervised by Ms Janet Bruce-Brand and Dr Michelle Hatch, discovered a clear link between labour force participation and education.

‘Increasing the proportion of women with tertiary qualifications in particular, is likely to help reduce the labour force participation gap. Despite this, the uneven distribution of childcare is shown to be a significant contributor to the gap - policies that help reduce the uneven share of childcare would thus also likely contribute toward reducing the gap.

‘My research also shows that none of these recommendations are likely to be sufficient in closing the gap completely unless men and women respond to their characteristics more similarly. Behavioural responses to being married for example, contributed to widening the gap which could be attributed to typical gender roles taken on after marriage or differences in bargaining power,’ said Wagner.

The study recommends a need for policies aimed at empowering women and encouraging gender equality in the economy in general and also within households as well as remedies to ensure that the disadvantages women face in the labour market, such as discrimination and less favourable employment prospects, are diminished.

With a major aspect of her qualification involving analytical thinking and problem solving, Wagner looks forward to applying these skills in her career as an Economics consultant. 

‘I believe these skills are important not only for most careers but for life in general. Completing my masters has also opened up a much wider range of career opportunities for me.’

Words: Thandiwe Jumo

Photograph: Supplied