Abstract
M.Phil.
Women today find themselves in a dilemma due to a conflict in role expectations. The purpose of this study is to investigate this dilemma, as well as the role of selfawareness,
values and personal leadership in this regard. The main objective is to clearly define the concept self-awareness and what it entails for women today, and secondly to investigate the role of value-clarification in this regard. Finally, the focus of this study is on the contribution that personal leadership can make to the development of self-awareness of women today. The focus of this study is the middle-class, married or single woman with children who has a full-time or parttime job.
The research methodology of this study entails a descriptive study. Research methods include a word and concept analysis to clarify concepts central to the title of the study. A literature study was conducted to clarify self-awareness as it manifests in the everyday lives of women today. Self-awareness can be described as a woman's inner contact with herself, which reflects her deepest values, motives and attitudes in all dimensions of life.
According to this study, self-awareness is the all-encompassing term that includes self-concept, self-acceptance, self-efficacy, self-estimation and self-control.
Each and every woman should know who she really is. This implies that a woman should be fully aware of her values in life, i.e. what really matters to her. It is therefore important that she engages herself in a process of value-clarification in order to align her daily activities according to these values. This study also focused on the role which personal leadership can play in establishing better self-awareness. Personal leadership is described as a principleand character-based approach to assist women to achieve a greater sense of selfawareness.
Personal leadership can be described as a process of coaching a person towards a better understanding of who she is and where she currently finds herself in life, as well as where she comes from and in what direction she wants to go. This process can assist women to develop a greater sense of self-awareness and serve as a constant reminder of those aspects that are really most important in life.
Through personal leadership she will find her true values, and obtain in-depth knowledge of herself, her motives and driving forces in life. She will know what she aims to achieve, and what she would like to be remembered for. Greater selfawareness will also serve as a compass for living more effectively. This woman will experience less inner conflict, organize her daily activities better and in this process will become that which she truly strives to be.