Domestic Work and Livelihood Experiences from a Gender Perspective in Lusaka, Zambia
Journal Title: Journal of Social Economics - Year 2016, Vol 3, Issue 3
Abstract
Domestic work is one of the oldest occupations in the world and there is an increase in terms of numbers of domestic workers. A domestic worker is an employee with an employment relationship that is performed in the household. Domestic work is an important source of wage employment for women and men and represents 4 to 10 per cent of the total workforce in developing countries and 1 to 2.5 per cent of the total workforce in developed countries. The objective of the study was to investigate the experiences, nature of work performed, livelihood, health consequences, sexuality and coping strategies of female and male domestic worker from a gender perspective. Purposive and respondent driven sampling methods were applied to enlist 120 respondents in Chelstone, Lusaka, Zambia. Structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions were used to collect data. The data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and thematic content analysis. Results showed that domestic work was performed by women (58%) and men (42%). The predominant reason for engaging in domestic work was poverty (95.0%). Men and women performed duties which cut-across both sexes. The gender dimension did not affect the allocation of tasks. Both women and men are involved in child caring, cleaning the house and surrounding, gardening, washing cars, washing plates, and clothes, ironing, shopping, cooking, care for the elderly, and the disabled. There were numerous experiences that were recounted including long hours of work, sexual harassment, verbal abuse, health consequences and unequal relationships with employers. From the findings it was evident that gender was significantly associated with health consequences with more men suffering than women (χ² obs = 21.259; df =8 and p = 0.006). It can be deduced from this study that domestic workers were probably the most exposed to sexual harassment and rape, and that women were more common to be abused. Relating to coping with work, there was an association with type of coping behaviour with gender at P > 0.05 (χ2obs= 11.715; df = 4 and p = 0.020). The study recommends public awareness efforts and the facilitation of accessible complaint procedures and for the efficient and meaningful application of written provisions.
Authors and Affiliations
Melody Kanyembo, Thankian Kusanthan
Keywords
Related Articles
- EP ID EP28683
- DOI -
- Views 221
- Downloads 7
Appropriate Risk Mitigation Strategies for Corporate Strategic Direction and Performance
Strategic direction involves developing long-term vision of the firm’s intent. A long-term vision typically looks at least five to ten years in future. According to Prokesch (1997) the purpose and vision of an organiza...
Factors Driving the Islamic Insurance System in Pakistan, a Social Perspective Approach
The aim of this paper is identify those factors which are making conventional insurance system prohibited in Islam. The study examines the differences between the conventional and Islamic insurance contracts (Takaful)....
Finding a Balance between Substantive Equality and Sustainable Economic Growth: A Zimbabwean Perspective Compared To Other Countries
Purpose: the paper seeks to establish if substantive equality has an impact on economic growth. The paper shall draw comparisons from other countries in Africa which have substantive equality programmes that were desig...
Women Empowerment: Interrogating the Effectiveness of the GWAPA Small Business Development Projects Poverty Alleviation Programme in Zimbabwe
This study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of the GWAPA single mothers poverty alleviation programme. Three hundred and seventy five of the 1756 GWAPA single women members were used as questionnaire respondents, a...
A Primer on Tariff and Non-Tariff Barriers to International Trade: (Hopefully) a Common Sense, Non-Technical Discussion from a U.S. Perspective
Although it would be both customary and prudent for an importer or exporter to secure the services of an experienced customs broker in facilitating an international transaction, it is still important for the businessma...