Chapter 4 Figure 4.1
5. ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE SURVEY DATA 1 Introduction
5.3 Age, gender and rural production
5.3.3 Ages of Maturity and productivity (31-50 yrs )
Traditionally among the Basotho, ages 31 to 50 were regarded as ages of maturity and adulthood. For example, household members in this age-category and regardless of gender, were traditionally assumed to have become mature and responsible parents.
Moreover, individuals, in this group were expected to be still young, energetic, innovative
and therefore for increasing material production of households. Thus, depending on the
availability of funds for training in education skills, values, attitudes, techniques and
knowledge, this age group represents the most relatively able or productive labour force
for the community as a whole.
123
5.3.4 Old age dependency (51 yrs upwards).
Beyondfifty years of age, members of households have traditionally been r~garded old and therefore, gradually deteriorating in respect to productivity potential and the presence of elderly persons in different households implied an extra load for dependency on the working members of households. However, the presence of an elderly person in a· households may also be looked at as a storage of society's experiences and of society's traditional arts and crafts, life-histories, wisdom and as a source of guidance and counselling for the newly established families.
Table 5.7 shows the percentage of households with members in general dependency and economically active age groups.
Table 5.7: Household-DependencyinMapholaneng-Catchment-1998-99
Caromnent 338 64
Urban villages
Rural villages
188
150
40
24
258 108
-
42 119-
46 31 - 12Number ofpersons 2.7 3 0.8
per household
159 52
-
33 83-
52 24-
15Number of persons 2.2 3.5
per household
417 160
-
38 202 - 49 55 - 13Number ofpersons 2.5 3.3
rhousehold
Source: Questionnaire survey data, Dec, 1999.
It is observed that the young dependent age group up to 16 years of age constitute a large proportion of the total population, (38%) similar to countries of the developing world in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Urban and Rural villages have 42% and 33% of their population respectively aged 16 years or less while 12% and 15% respectively are over 50 years of age. In the socio-economic context of Mapholaneng, those household
members aged 16 years and less and those over 50 years of age are considered dependents on the economically active members aged 17 to 50 years. The Table shows that Mapholaneng households have an average of six or more members, of whom basically four are dependents under 16 years or over 50 years of age. This burden of dependency is exacerbated by the fact that the majority of the 17 to 50 year olds are not in fact employed or earning any income, particularly since the migrant labour retrenchments from 1987. Actual dependency levels in the villages is therefore even higher than these data first indicate. While 49% of the population is in the economically active 17 to 50 years of age group. The average percentage of catchment households with young children below 6 years, is 35 % and an average of30% of households in the whole catchment has persons aged above 50 years. Thus 51 % of Mapholaneng Catchment households have a proportion of young children and old aged dependent members who need to be supported with means of subsistence by the working members.
In addition, it is also revealed from Table 5.7 that in all age-groups rural households seem to be larger than urban households. At the same time, the percentages of females in all age groups, also seems to be greater than those of men in both rural and urban villages.
5.3.5 Implications for rural development.
o
The Mapholaneng catchment has a substantial percentage of young children for whom future plans for their means of survival have to be identified and developed, including investments in future health and education development.o
The great labour potential of men and women which is mostly concentrated in the age-group 6 to 30 and 31 to 50 needs to be mobilized for full participation in the development of households and the catchment as a whole, through creation of self- employment and wage employment activities. Also of significance as reflected from studies of gender structure of the catchment, is the old traditional notion of female subordination by males in all workplaces, which this thesis will suggests needs to be revised, so as to enable rural women to use their potential skills and initiatives as men in advancing rural development activities.o
The predominance of women in all age categories, especially in working ages,125 should mean the development of new thinking in traditional rural economies, in respect to the old dichotomy in gender functions, confining women only to domestic roles and thereby inhibiting exposure and full exploitation of their work ethics, talents, knowledge and potentials in serving public spheres of social life.
o
The large number of children under six years of age and of youths aged up to 30 years, is an indication that future generations will still need the land resources of the catchment, which at present (1999), are either degraded or eroded;o
The presence of a substantial proportion of the aged members of households in the catchment is a critical issue for consideration.o
Lesotho does not provide any national or government old age security for its old age citizens which implies an increased dependency burden on the household's bread winners. This situation highlights the dire need for the advancement of programmes that will help create income-generating activities for the future improvement of the lives of the rural people, including:identifying potential avai lable resources in the catchment for productive exploitation;
11 identifying both socio-economic and cultural infrastructural requirements for the upliftment of the rural living conditions, and
I11 identify viable possibilities for the creation of sustainable employment alternatives in the catchment.