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Starting small businesses in the informal sector is an important livelihood strategy for women because of its potential to economically empower them. For women, informal businesses increase their income thus fostering their participation in household food provision. Despite the subjugation leveled against women in various economic spaces, their engagement in other critical economic activities such as subsistence farming and small enterprise development has a major role to play in improving food security and eradicating house hold poverty in women led families.
Covid-19 and Women Livelihood
The existing economic turmoil in Zimbabwe affected women socially, economically and emotionally and this was further exacerbated by the Covid 19 outbreak. The subsequent covid-19 restrictions arguably stripped women of their, otherwise limited, rights to economic participation and resource extraction and utilization. For the few employed women, the lockdown restrictions and subsequent closure of businesses had a serious impact on single women in suburbs as Zimre Park. It is interesting to note that in the midst of these difficulties these women managed to come up with various survival strategies.
Women Savings Clubs (Mkando).
Because of their involvement in the informal sector, some women grouped up to take turns to give each other money contributions. These contributions come in the form of savings club where each member contributed at most US$5/week. On average, each groups up to 10 women members. This means at the end of a week, the group will have at most US$50 which is then given to each member on rotation. This can well be defined as a self financed revolving fund for women where the purpose is to boost their businesses among other things. Such a model has worked wonders as some women arguably managed to curb their lack of funding for improving their businesses. Better still, this model is much cheaper than having to borrow money from financial institutions where high interest rates are charged on loans disbursed.
Women Cooperatives
No doubt the economic hardships affected majority of women in various societies and some have been prompted to start cooperatives. Cooperatives for women came in the form of community gardens in areas such as Hetcliff, dress making clubs in Mbare and some ventured into household detergent manufacturing. While the purpose has been for these cooperatives has been to help each other in finding other income streams, some women managed to gain extra skills in house hold chemicals manufacturing.
Women and Knitting
Some women managed to make use of their skills taking advantage of the seasonal opportunities. Five respondents started knitting and crocheting jerseys as soon as the winter season was approaching. These activities were in response to the seasonal demand for jerseys characteristic of the winter season in Zimbabwe. The excitement from these women stand as testament to the profits they made between April and June. One trader pointed out that, ‘school children prefer homemade jerseys because they are thicker and warmer and they bought our jerseys in anticipation of early reopening of schools.
Vending
While some have managed to form cooperatives, some women have directed much of their time to informal vending. Some engaged themselves in fruits and vegetable vending while others resorted to hair dressing where they use their home garages as work spaces. Women involvement in vending came at a time when the stipulated laws restricted such activities, but these laws could not be adhered to in the wake of starving families. It is also worth noting that vending has remained as the only source of livelihood in this economic climate where unemployment rates are close to 100%.
Prostitution
Prostitution, the world`s oldest profession, increasingly became a means of survival for women of loose morals. There is a sense in which Covid 19 heightened the number of women in commercial sex work as evidenced by observations in suburbs like Epworth. Young women, mostly from poor backgrounds have been exploiting this avenue as a means for survival at a time when schools were closed. In a sense this has also contributed in the rise of teenage pregnancies and a growing number of cases relating to STIs among young girls from low income suburbs. In worst cases, some women even went to the extent of using their girl children to engage in prostitution so as to the increase the income for their families.
A 26-year-old woman lamented on how the economy`s dire situation made it difficult for her to be employed. When covid-19 affected the country, prostitution became her only source of income were they get paid instantly. For her, there is no other means for surviving where borders have been closed for over four months now, how will we survive?’ In this regard, therefore, prostitution has been essential in the lives of women with little or no education.
Survival strategies are a form of escapism for women who have been subjected to second class treatment since time immemorial. This has been further exacerbated by the covid-29 pandemic where the precarious situation for women became apparently clear. While there has been much talk about the need to include women in the economic development scenario, it is also important to note just how women are capable of adapting to the changing socio-economic situations. It can thus be argued that, there is a great need for women to be fully capacitated and supported by any means possible. In so doing, women can well be the driver of soci-economic transformation starting at the family level.
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