Theorising poverty and inequality in the case of rural women in Mungwi District in Zambia: a grounded theory approach.
Loading...
Date
2021
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Poverty and inequality are undesirable, and nations strive to reduce them. The government of
Zambia continues to try to alleviate poverty and inequality among rural women, but prospects
of succeeding are still distant. This study was aimed at theorising poverty and inequality using
a grounded theory approach in Mungwi District in Zambia. The following were the objectives
of the study: To Investigate the perceptions of the rural women in Mungwi district regarding
poverty and inequality; to examine the challenges faced by rural women due to poverty and
inequality; to evaluate current interventions aimed at alleviating poverty and inequality among
rural women; to develop a framework of interventions to reduce poverty and inequality in
Zambia and to develop elements of theorises of poverty and inequality using a grounded theory
approach. Three theoretical framework namely sustainable livelihoods approach, liberal
feminist theory and Abraham Maslow’s human needs theory were used. The study adopted an
interpretive paradigm and a qualitative case study research design. Also, a grounded theory
methodology was used for data collection and analysis. Data was collected using semistructured
interviews, focus groups interviews and observation. The sample comprised of 64
women aged between 20 years and 65 years from Mungwi District in Zambia. This study
applied purposive sampling to reach the target group which provided the required information
to address the research questions of the study. The key findings are that poverty and inequality
are complex and are understood in many ways. The women of Mungwi District comprehend
poverty not just as a lack of income and wealth, but also being unable to afford rudimentary
commodities and resources coupled with the failure to sustain life. For them, poverty amounts
to powerlessness, voicelessness, isolation, exclusion and a loss of confidence, inasmuch as it
is a lack of education and healthcare. Similarly, Inequality for these rural women is experienced
via unequal treatment, dissimilar opportunities, and differences in the delivery of resources.
They also expressed inequality as oppression, discrepancies in development, and exclusion
from community development. These findings do not just mirror rural women’s poverty and
inequality but reveal unfathomable abasement of the rural women of Mungwi District.
Consequently, the researcher recommends that social protection in form of a Social Cash
Transfer, Pension Fund, and other social grants be allocated to all women who do not have
reliable sources of income as in permanent jobs. Likewise, the government ought to consider
employment opportunities for rural women and discourage negative cultural norms that stifle
women’s upward mobility. The researcher’s contribution to body of knowledge in this study
lies in the presentation of Intricate Poverty and Inequality Reduction Framework (IPIREF) and
in the postulation of the social capacitation theory and approaches such as the Balance of
Dominance Approach (BDA), the Co-holding Approach (CoHA), Devoted Rural Leadership
Approach (DRLA) and Women Income Support Approach (WISA). The IPIREF is useful for
stakeholders because it points to the needs of the rural women in Mungwi District, transforming
structures that can assist, and the expected results after intervention.
Description
Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.