OCEAN
6.4. POWER RELATIONS AND HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS
A great majority of women in the rural area live in unacceptable conditions of poverty due to various causes (structural, local, national and international).
Conflicts, displacement of people and environmental degradation have further undermined the capacity of governments to meet the basic needs of their populations. The trend therefore is the increased poverty of women. Migration of men into major towns for jobs and the consequent changes in family structures place additional burden on women especially those who have many dependants.
In addition to economic factors, gender roles that limit women's access·to power, education, training and other resources are contributory to women's poverty. The Basic Needs approach to development stresses the need for the removal of mass deprivation, eradicating dependency and promoting autonom<;>us control by empowering the communities (section 3.2.1.). In addition, the Gender and . Development approach to development emphasizes the need for men and women to change in their relationship regarding their"rights and responsibilities at home (section 3.2.4). This corresponds with the Growth Employment And Redistribution (GEAR) on which the principles of the Reconstruction and Development Programme were based. The study reveals that because most of the women were financially dependent on their spouses and relatives before they started working for the Project, they had to adapt to the situations in their households. The dependency did not afford them the opportunity to make
choices on what they actually wanted and many of them were not involved in decision-making in the households. However, when they started the work with .the Project and started earning an income, a greater percentage of them were able to organize themselves and make choices as regards what to buy for themselves, the children and the other household members like food, clothing, shoes and other necessities of life. Consequently, they became 'people that
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matter' in decision-making in their households. Most of the women indicated that they kept their own earnings and as a result they were able to plan their expenses and to take decisions on their earnings. However, a few, especially those that were living with their parents, indicated that they still consulted with their parents before making decisions on hoVy' to spend their_.earnings. One of the women also indicated that in spite of her earning an income she still has to consult her mother-in-law in decision-making. One of the women further indicated that her aunt and uncle were still involved in household decisions This shows elements of truth in the working hypothesis (section 1.5) that the creation of jobs alone is not an indicator of the empowerment and development of rural women. It also confirms another hypothesis that patriarchal relations in the home limit development as other people (relatives and in-laws) were responsible for decision-making in 60% of the households even after the women got jobs with the Project. This is similar to the report of the CGE (1998) about a woman who was left to live with her in-laws by the husband in rural Ngulumbi after he got a job in the mines. The bed was taken away from her without notice and she would be allowed to use itonly when her husband was present (about three or four times in a year).
Furthermore, five of the women indicated that they were keeping their money in the banks. While foar of them stated that they opened their bank accounts in
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their names, the other one confirmed that she was using her sister's bank account. The women stated that having the bank accounts has helped them to manage their finances better. A similar study of women's empowerment programme in Nepal showed that in less than two years. the rural women had
learnt to read and all Women Empowerment Programme (WEP) women had begun saving actively (WEP 2000 submission). The problem of empowerment goes beyond earning ,an income and productivity in workplace. It incorporates the ability to gain access to information, education and exercising one's right in keeping to the freedom, dignity and personal values that make for living. During the interview, the Project leader stated that the women were encouraged to open bank accounts for .the payment of their earnings. However, the women considered travelling over a distance of about four kilometres and being on the queue for long to withdraw as little money as R440 was a waste of time, money and energy. Moreover, delays in the payments discouraged them from opening such accounts. More women should be encouraged to keep bank accounts, as this will help them to manage their finances better.
Batliwala (1994 cited in Bisnath undated) further reiterates that empowerment is a process of challenging existing power relations and of gaining control over the sources of power. In this study, the changing attitude of women's role in the household is a well-acknowledged fact. Women no longer sit back at home and expect men to provide food for the household members. The women, especially the single parents who are also heads of their households are involved in playing the same role of fending for their households as men. This resonates with the Gender and Development approach, which encourages changes for both men and women in their relationship as regards their rights and responsibilities in the home. The goal therefore is to challenge the patriarchal ideology of women subordination and thereby transform the structure that encourages gender discrimination and social inequality in areas of education, employment ·and other resources. Also, the understanding of gender and socio-cultural factors impacts gender potential or capacity and household dynamics. The socio-cultural dynamics in terms of who contributes and what is contributed have profound effects on opinions expressed by individuals in the household. This was the expression of one of the women employees who said that she is brought into the decision-making of the household because of her financial contribution and fears
that she will be back to her former passive role in decision-making if she loses the job.