Organizational structure of the Work for Water project 65. employees of the Work for Water project 67 5.2.1. The most important economic activities of the women employees before. be employed in the Work for Water project 77 5.4.
BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Also, the objectives of the Work for Water Program and those of this study will be reviewed. Against this background, the Water Works Project was established in 1995 as part of the Government's Growth, Employment and Redistribution (GEAR) strategy and its Reconstruction and Development Programme.
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE WORKING FOR WATER PROJECT
Since a large number of women are and continue to remain in rural areas for their livelihoods, the initiatives taken to develop and empower women through job creation warrant further investigation. Therefore, this research will be largely aimed at addressing the principles of the development and empowerment of rural women through job creation in the Working for Water project.
RESEARCH AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
RESEARCH AIMS
Furthermore, it aims to employ women preferentially at all levels so that they represent at least 60% of the workforce, and to employ young people and the disabled wherever possible. These include an assessment of the women's main economic activities, training and capacity building in the project and access to human and material resources in the household and community.
RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
HYPOTHESIS
OVERVIEW OF METHODOLOGY
LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
It also shows the social and economic impact of the Work for Water project on the female employees in terms of acquired skills, empowerment and power relationship in the households and community. Comparisons with previous studies on the subject of the empowerment and development of women are made.
GENDER
Lele (1975) sees rural development as a way to improve the living standards of low-income rural people and to make the process self-sufficient. In addition, the World Bank (1975) defines it as a strategy aimed at improving the economic and social life of the rural population.
HOUSEHOLD
Although out of date, Tinker (1976) estimates that a quarter to a third of households in the world are de facto headed by women in one third. Definitions have therefore been presented in order to have a common understanding of the terminology used in the study.
AN OVERVIEW
In addition, most international and national development projects in agricultural productivity were targeted at men and the benefits of the development went to them (Charles, 1993). In light of the discrimination, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the 'Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women' (CEDAW) in 1979.
APPROACH TO DEVELOPMENT
BASIC HUMAN NEEDS APPROACH
The disillusionment with these weaknesses led to the rise of the basic human needs approach. The approach is aimed at removing mass deprivation and improving the quality of life of the poor.
WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT APPROACH (WID)
The consideration of gender differences, patriarchal structures and attitudes led to the emergence of the gender and development approach in the 1980s. This study will try to assess the extent to which the basic needs of the female employees are met and they are empowered to take leading roles in the project.
NON-INTERVENTIONIST APPROACH
In this spirit, feminists emphasize the removal of restrictions that hinder women in society and the encouragement of projects involving the training of women in new skills to equip them for competition in the labor market (Friedman et al., 1987) . This theory will therefore help in assessing the level of women's participation and skill acquisition in the project, the division of labor in their households and the impact on the empowerment and development of rural women in the study area. This approach also focuses on the empowerment of women and promotes their role in the development process.
CHAPTER FOUR METHODOLOGY
STUDY AREA
OCEAN
DATA SOURCES
- PRIMARY DATA
In most cases, the interviews were conducted among the employees of the Working for Water project in their settlements in the contributing areas. In addition, a semi-structured interview was conducted with the project manager (manager) and the implementers of the Umlaas Working for Water project. These interviews related to their perceptions of women's participation, capacity building and empowerment of women employed in the project.
METHOD OF PRIMARY DATA COLLECTION
- INTERVIEW
- QUESTIONNAIRES
- SAMPLING TECHNIQUE AND SIZE
- ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONS
- RESPONDENTS' BIAS
The sampling involved five groups of stakeholders: the female workers, the project manager, the contractors, the household members of the female workers of the Working for Water Project and members of the community in the area. The interview also involved six contractors (four men and two women) and the project leader (manager) of the Working for Water Project. The small sample size for each group may raise questions about the generalizability of the study.
DATAANALYSIS
- QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS
- QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS
In the Umlaa catchment case, the researcher's approach was to uncover the respondents' perception of empowerment and its reinforcement of the Working for Water project. Dialogue and interaction between the researcher and the respondents makes the researcher aware. Quantitative analysis was used to assess the demographic profile of project staff and capacity building in terms of training.
RESEARCH PROCESS
Each interview with employees and the project manager lasted approximately one hour, while the interview with the remaining stakeholders lasted approximately 45 minutes. However, this problem was overcome as the project manager informed the employees through the contractors and guided us to some houses. According to the project manager, the contractors are appointed locally through the joint efforts of indunas (local authorities), members of the project management committee and the project manager.
DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE OF
- PLACE OF RESIDENCE OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- AGE DISTRIBUTION OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- LEVEL OF EDUCATION OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- MARITAL STATUS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- AGE DISTRIBUTION OF CHILDREN IN THE HOUSEHOLDS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- YEAR OF EMPLOYMENT OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- COMPOSITION OF THE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS OF THE WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- RESPONSES FROM CONTRACTORS IN THE WORKING FOR WATER PROJECT
The table also shows that 88% of female employees (22 women) have received some form of education. Close observation near the researcher shows that people decide not to get married. Observation during the interview revealed that two of the children in the age group of 6 to 10 years are not enrolled in schools.
THE MAJOR ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES OF THE WOMEN BEFORE BEING EMPLOYED IN THE WORKING FOR
So she explained that she was desperate to find a job to support her two children. Also, WE 11 stated that she had been doing nothing at home to earn an income for a long time until she found a job at the Project in March 2000. Additionally, WE 17 stated that she was "so burdened with family responsibilities" that she had no choice but to take the job.
SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC IMPACTS OF THE WORKING FOR WATER PROJECT ON WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- EMPOWERMENT
- TRAINING AND CAPACITY BUILDING
- POWER RELATIONS IN THE HOUSEHOLDS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- DIVISION OF LABOUR IN THE HOUSEHOLDS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
- INVOLVEMENT OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES IN ORGANIZATIONS
The employees were asked about the importance of the skills they acquired during the training. Nine women said that relatives (mothers, sisters and adult family members) help them with household chores. Job creation through the Working for Water project has helped improve the lives of working women.
UNDERSTANDING OF EMPOWERMENT
Most of the women did not have these opportunities as they expressed dissatisfaction with their living conditions before they got the job with the project. The project manager, contractors and local community members also testified that the living conditions of the female employees and their households have improved over time. In addition, the study shows that only four (16%) of the female employees belonged to an organization - AVBOB funeral.
UNDERSTANDING OF CAPACITY BUILDING
Five of the contractors indicated that they were satisfied with the performance level of the women. This indicates that most contractors were satisfied with the performance level of the women. Only one of the contractors indicated that the men who worked with him did the spraying while the women fetched water.
BASIC NEEDS OF WOMEN
The community members as well as the members of the households of the female employees of the Project also confirmed the women's answers. The study further reveals that most of the female employees were either heads or breadwinners of their households. Many of the women complained that they would like to take better care of their children (better food on the table, better clothes and shoes) if their financial status was improved.
POWER RELATIONS AND HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS
One of the women also indicated that, despite her income, she still has to consult her mother-in-law in decision-making. Furthermore, five of the women indicated that they keep their money in the banks. In this study, the changing attitude of women's role in the household is a well-known fact.
WOMEN EMPLOYEES AND HOUSEHOLD CHORES
Because their relatives were unable to do some of the household chores, some women said they had to postpone these chores until the weekend when they were not working on the project. For example, two of the women who did not have adults to do such work said their neighbors' children helped them. Some women explained that they had to skip some household chores this weekend because they had no one to help them during the week.
SUPPORT FROM PARTNERS OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
In this regard, one of the women said that her husband's commitment to the children of his previous marriage limited his financial support. Moreover, the earnings of the women were in addition to whatever the household income was before. Incidentally, none of the women indicated that their partners complained about working for pay.
GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION OF WOMEN EMPLOYEES
This resonates with the definitions of the World Bank (1975) and Akinbode (1983) of rural development as a strategy designed to improve the economic and social life of the rural people and the satisfaction of living in the rural village.
PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN EMPLOYEES
However, the question of the future has not yet been addressed by the Working for Water project in light of the external assistance it receives. In this realization, the Working for Water program has come up with a proposal that intends to continue to address the continuation of the project and its employees, even after they have left the program. This chapter concludes the thesis by providing a summary of the main findings in relation to the aims, objectives and hypotheses set out for the study.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The inclusion of women in the paid workforce and a range of professions in the Working for Water project is a step forward in changing societal imbalances and is highly commendable. The government of any developing country takes into account the human and physical resources of rural areas and the consequent need for balanced development (Mabogunje, 1980). Their participation in the programs and projects that affect them gives them a sense of belonging and the will to succeed in such projects.
CONCLUSION
The analysis of the study area confirms that most female workers (92%) were previously involved in unskilled and poorly paid jobs such as gardening, housework and crafts. Even when some women are involved in decision-making, they stated that losing the job would mean returning to their previous passive status in household decision-making. However, a significant proportion of women had not completed the initial training programme.
APPRAISAL AND LIMITATIONS
Stakeholders - women workers, contractors, community members, family members of women workers and the project manager confirmed that the effects of the Project are not felt in the physical environment of the settlements as described by the absence of asphalt roads. , health facilities and piped water. Their description of their life experiences was important in assessing the perception of different actors on the empowerment, social impacts of the 'Women's Empowerment and Development Project. The political empowerment of women was not taken into consideration in this study as it is considered that "it has a secondary value in evaluating the empowerment of women through the creation of jobs by the Project.
INTERVIEW FORM FOR THE HOUSEHOLD MEMBERS OF WOMEN EMPLOYED WORKING FOR THE WATER PROJECT. What changes have you noticed in general among the household members since the female worker in the Working for Water project (give name) started working in the project. In what ways do you think these changes have affected the lifestyles of female employees in the Working for Water project.
