No description available.

Thesis (Ph.D. Agriculture. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2022 / Many researchers in different parts of the world have advocated the use of irrigation water to reduce levels of poverty, especially among rural households. This is made possible through the development of irrigation schemes in these areas and giving the necessary support to these farmers. If this is done sufficiently, irrigation schemes` participants are sure to realise improved livelihoods and poverty reduction. However, different communities are faced with different challenges and are subjected to rules and norms applied in their respective communities. On one hand, farmers are individuals who also have personal beliefs and characteristics that may be critical in determining the success of their irrigation schemes. On the other hand, certain characteristics (e.g., unequal distribution of water and land) can be inherited as challenges by farmers in such communities, making it difficult to overcome and thus posing threats to the success of irrigation schemes. A purposive-multistage technique together with a simple random sampling were used to sample 300 smallholder farmers from the Vhembe and Sekhukhune districts of Limpopo Province. An analysis of data was done using a combination of analytic techniques such as the Binomial Logit, Principal Component Analysis, Multiple Regression Analysis, Poverty Indices and the Women Empowerment Agriculture Index. The latter was employed to examine whether or not there are efforts by the irrigation schemes to empower women. The main aim was to analyse the contribution and impact that irrigations schemes have on poverty reduction among smallholder farmers. There was also a need to consider the role that positive psychological capital may play in uplifting the hope, confidence, resilience and optimism by farmers in their irrigation schemes. The results revealed that women’s participation was high (58%) in the irrigation schemes as compared to men. However, this did not mean that women were empowered automatically. After administering the Women Empowerment Agriculture Index, it was found that women are actually disempowered in three (out of five) indicators that were used as a measure of empowerment. Meanwhile, most farmers who used irrigation, saw their livelihoods improve and their poverty status improve too. Irrigation was able to increase their yields, incomes, employment, and other household assets. It was again proven that positive psychological capital played a significant role in reducing poverty. However, factors such as lack of capital assets, social grants, illiteracy, old age, lack of vocational training and risk aversion in some instances contributed to poverty. In order to enhance the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, the government and other relevant bodies should see to it that agricultural extension services are improved and include vocational training for these farmers together with the provision of market information and business training. This may help farmers realise the importance of farming as a business and not relying on government for everything they need. A larger share of income for most farmers came from social grants and remittances. This is likely to have a negative impact on the success of irrigation schemes. Therefore, farmers need to be trained for self-reliance. The need to promote women’s participation in decision-making for water management and also suggests ways in which women’s access to water can be improved through equitable development cannot be overemphasised. There is also a need to conduct a study on the measurement and role of psychological capital in rural livelihoods using other methods such as revealed preference approach, experimental economics and behavioural economics.

This study critically assesses how far the Mauritian EPZ, which consists of a predominantly female workforce, is conducive to women’s empowerment, particularly in a context of rife global competition. Focus Group Discussions with actual female workers and semi-directive interviews of those who have been laid off reveal that there have effectively been some benefits which may be construed as empowerment. However, low wages and harsh treatment of workers at the workplace, compounded with rising costs of living and pervasive patriarchal values impede the extent of empowerment. Yet, when contrasted with the experiences of laid off women, the centrality of employment becomes more palpable. The experiences of job loss are in many cases destructive of not only the laid-off worker’s self-image and aspirations, but also on their ability to juggle with poverty and its associated outcomes. Despite being a relatively difficult sector to work in, its benefits outweigh its limitations. / Sociology / MA (Social Science)

Around the world, male violence against women is a major challenge for public health. Social workers often meet women exposed to domestic violence and therefore need qualified knowledge in how to treat and meet these women in the best way possible. Empowerment for preventing violence against women is an approach to support the victims in order to reduce risks of further domestic violence. The aim of the study is to get an enhanced knowledge of empowerment as an evaluative assessment, as used in social work with women objected to domestic violence. Problems and possibilities for change, in applying the model, are examined as relating to the different backgrounds of the women. This study is a systematic analysis of literature and social science articles on the topic, and the analysis applies to empowerment a theory. The result of the study shows that abused women´s possibilities to enforce empowerment through this model is affected by their individual basic conditions and circumstances. Some factors that contribute, to success or failure using the model, are religion, education, financial resources, residence and social context. Evaluating the empowerment model in preventing violence against women through a systems theory approach present a number of shortcomings from using the method. The models are often effective only in a specific setting and applied mostly through individually adapted support. Its usefulness for support of women around the world, affected by violence, is limited whereas background and living conditions differ. Men are not being included in the efforts for change. Another key aspect is rigid and entrenched structures of culture, religion and societal norms that present obstacles. Without support from family, friends and the community it becomes even more difficult for women to change their lives.

Submitted by Juliette Poiret (juliette.poiret@sciencespo.fr) on 2016-12-30T08:01:06Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Juliette_Poiret_vF.docx: 1279498 bytes, checksum: 153cc89d1cb3411eba9857e1a4552000 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Vera Lúcia Mourão (vera.mourao@fgv.br) on 2016-12-30T14:13:24Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Juliette_Poiret_vF.docx: 1279498 bytes, checksum: 153cc89d1cb3411eba9857e1a4552000 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-12-30T15:26:57Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Thesis_Juliette_Poiret_vF.docx: 1279498 bytes, checksum: 153cc89d1cb3411eba9857e1a4552000 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016 / This research explores the relationship between the penetration of mobile money services and the state of women empowerment across 30 Sub-Saharan African countries. Our purpose is to determine whether fostering the development of mobile money can be a useful tool to reinforce women empowerment in developing countries. We perform an exploratory data analysis, as well as correlation and regression analyses, to assess the effect of mobile money services on women empowerment. In order to do that, we construct several mobile money variables and a women empowerment index, using national-level data collected through questionnaires addressed by the World Bank on selected samples. Our results show a positive yet moderate relationship, and pave the way for further research on this subject. / Esta dissertação analisa a relação entre a expansão dos serviços de mobile money e o empoderamento das mulheres na África Subsariana. O propósito é determinar se mobile money pode ser um instrumento útil para reforçar o empoderamento das mulheres dos países em desenvolvimento. Realizamos uma análise exploratória dos dados através de correlações e regressões para avaliar o efeito dos serviços de mobile money sobre o empoderamento das mulheres. Criamos diversas variáveis associadas os serviços de mobile money e um index do empoderamento das mulheres utilizando dados do Banco Mundial. Nossos resultados mostram uma relação positiva mas moderada, preparando caminho para outras pesquisas.

This study critically assesses how far the Mauritian EPZ, which consists of a predominantly female workforce, is conducive to women’s empowerment, particularly in a context of rife global competition. Focus Group Discussions with actual female workers and semi-directive interviews of those who have been laid off reveal that there have effectively been some benefits which may be construed as empowerment. However, low wages and harsh treatment of workers at the workplace, compounded with rising costs of living and pervasive patriarchal values impede the extent of empowerment. Yet, when contrasted with the experiences of laid off women, the centrality of employment becomes more palpable. The experiences of job loss are in many cases destructive of not only the laid-off worker’s self-image and aspirations, but also on their ability to juggle with poverty and its associated outcomes. Despite being a relatively difficult sector to work in, its benefits outweigh its limitations. / Sociology / MA (Social Science)

The aim of this study is to investigate, analyse and evaluate the installed off-grid PV system in Mavuno girls’ secondary school that is located in a rural area in northwest Tanzania. The original motivation behind this study was the rapid degradation of the installed battery bank within less than 3 years. The PV system was installed before the actual operation of the school, so the study aimed to answer a very pressing question which is "What is the actual load profiles in the school?". There was a high need to identify the actual school load profiles to enable several concerned social actors to evaluate the system and to decide for future extensions. Therefore, the study aimed to analyse the implementation of electricity in the school by creating actual load profiles, analysing the system performance versus the users’ needs and evaluating the sustainability and utilization of implementation. The study followed a multi-disciplinary approach combining the social and technical aspects of PV systems implementation to seek further understanding of the users’ consumption behaviours. It thus included a 1-month of field work in June 2018 during which participant observations and semi-structured interviews together with load measurements were carried out so as to create load profiles that are considering the patterns and deviations in users’ behaviours. During the field work, 2/3 of the students were in holidays so the taken measurements corresponded to the school at 30 % capacity. That is why the study also included 4 days of inverter data logging after the 1-month field work by the technical head of the school to overcome the limitations in held measurements. The observations showed that the actual installed system was slightly different from the documentation. In addition, the local installation practices are not fully appropriate from the technical point of view, and are affected by local social norms, as will be discussed. Besides, the participant observations and held interviews with relevant social actors showed that the daily behaviours of energy users do not exactly follow the school daily routine. Consequently, the social study was important to create actual effective load profiles. The observations and responses from interviews together with measurements were used to categorize the school loads into 29 different units. Those units can be used for current load prioritizations and for future load extrapolations. The created load profiles also represent a useful addition to load databases used by energy researchers who work on similar rural electrification projects. After the field work, several characteristics were calculated by Microsoft Excel such as apparent power consumptions, active power consumptions, battery bank state of charge, load power factor and PV generated energy. The characteristics were used in calculations evaluating the energy balance in the system. The results of held calculations showed that lighting during dark hours accounted for on around 78 % of the logged daily apparent energy use, as it has a low a low average power factor of 0.28. It also showed that some loads if time-bounded, they will significantly decrease the daily energy consumption. The calculations were also used to run PVSyst simulations to evaluate the system sizing which resulted in the recommendation that either the array size should be doubled, or the apparent energy consumption should be decreased to half. The study included suggestions for possible improvements such as decreasing the reactive consumed energy by either replacing the currently used light bulbs with ones that have higher power factor ( ≥0.8 for example) or by installing a capacitive compensation for power factor correction. In addition, it was recommended to quantify the school loads according to their priority or importance and to regulate observed time-unbounded loads such as "pumping water" and "ironing". Lastly, the study discussed how generated electricity is utilized in the school and what opportunities for women empowerment have become potentially possible with the provision of electricity.

Since the Beijing Conference on women in 1995 ‘gender-mainstreaming’ has been the new buzz word within the international development regime. Gender equality is increasingly believed to be a major determinant for socioeconomic development in the Global South. However, the development agenda and the gender strategies for the Global South are still outlined and determined by development professionals at head quarters of the development business in the in the Global North. Heavy critique has been launched against the prevailing international development paradigm, not only for being increasingly centralised and categorised as business, which distances global policy from the lived realities in the Global South, but also for obscuring unequal power relations between men and women behind the political correctness of gender. This study explores how gender and gender power relations are perceived and approached in practical development work in India. Through the example of the Self-Employed Women’s Association, SEWA, my ambition is to give an example of how gender bias and social inequality can be targeted through practical socioeconomic development work in a way that is both context sensitive and sprung from the Global South. SEWA is a women’s organisation, as well as a trade union and a cooperative movement. Aiming at improving employment and social and economic security for the female workers in the informal sectors, SEWA has organised its 800 000 members and social security services into cooperatives to bring about a process of social transformation with women at the centre. My empirical findings show that SEWA approaches gender bias in concrete and particular forms. As gender discrimination and poverty are interconnected, dealing with low-income households’ basic socioeconomic needs will also restructure gender power relations. With a large member-base and with ties to NGOs, corporations and governmental bodies, regionally, nationally and internationally, SEWA has become a powerful actor for social development, even at times when they face heavy resistance due to their feminist principles and commitment to the poor and socially marginalised.

The global economy celebrates microcredit as poverty alleviation for the individual and as a way to boost a country’s economic growth. This study examines if results from previous research on Grameen Bank’s microcredits are supported by statistics. By using Exploratory Sequential Mixed Method, five themes was conducted from the qualitative findings and then analyzed from capability approach theory and Schumpeterian growth theory. Results indicates that poverty have declined in Bangladesh, but it also shows that income share for the poorest has not increased nor the female employment rate.  Both the consumption and the GDP for Bangladesh have increased, but the conclusion of this study suggest that microcredits are convoluted and needs further studies that are comprehensive with both qualitative and statistical research that are more detailed and profound. Since the available statistics are inadequate further research generally about microcredits are needed, especially if banks and organizations worldwide are going to use it as poverty alleviation.

Tanzania has in the recent years kept a steady economic growth and the poverty rate has fallen significantly. At the same time, informal financial services have increased in popularity as a tool for poverty reduction. Previous research claims that gender equality will progress when economic development is taking place. But despite the economic development, the situation for Tanzanian women is still tough and the man is considered to be the head of the household. This paper aims to show why Tanzania is a deviant case regarding economic development and gender equality, and investigate how informal financial services impact women empowerment, by looking at membership in Village Community Banks. Feminist theories are used to explain why economic development and gender equality does not always have a linear relationship. It is concluded that membership in Village Community Banks have impacted the women on a personal level, enhancing self-confidence and belief. However, the gender equality within the household is not progressing due to a patriarchal social ordering, where the male is superior and the female inferior. It is not enough to focus on financial services, such as access to savings and credit, for a woman to be empowered enough to become equal to her husband.