This study, Women's participation in housing delivery in South Africa: the extent of
empowerment in post 1994 era, with specific reference to case studies in KwciZulu-Natal,
begins with the premise that post-apartheid housing policies, compared to those of the
apartheid era, have provided women with greater access to housing. In 1994 the housing
backlog was estimated to be about 3.5 million units, with the majority of those in need of
shelter being African women. This backlog was due to past policies that largely excluded
women from ownership and access to capital or resources to build formal housing. The
changes wrought by the democratic dispensation, such as constitutional provision for
gender equality, promised women greater participation in the social , political and
economic spheres of the country. The recognition of gender equality and housing as
rights protected within the constitution was reinforced by pronouncements in various
policy documents, such as the housing White Paper that underlined the need for women's
involvement in shelter development.
The aims of this study are to examine women's participation in housing delivery and to
assess the extent of empowerment arising from their involvement in post-1994 housing
development. The emphasis in this study on empowerment arises from the fact that
housing development.is set within a participatory and empowerment paradigm in the
current housing policy. The study discusses participation in "shelter" as embodied in
notions of self-help and as appl ied by implementing agencies such as the World Bank,
local government municipals and non-governmental organisations. The analysis indicates
that to understand women's role in the housing process, there is a need to move beyond
the project approach used by implementing agencies, to a multi-relational approach that
focuses on the relationships, processes, and levels of involvement at the implementation
and post-implementation stages. The scope of empirical material is confined to KwaZuluNatal
, although South African national past and present policy is analysed in the earl y
chapters. The question this study raises is whether women will be able to make
substantial improvements to the core structure provided through the subsidy, due to their weak economic position. Through a gender analysis of the participation process, the study
sheds light on women's roles and examines the extent to which women, in particular,
have been empowered. Both qualitative and quantitative research instruments were
employed to gather data on women's involvement in housing development in the
KwaZulu-Natal region chosen for the case studies. The specific areas studied were
Nthutukoville, Glenwood II and Thembalihle in Pietermaritzburg and Luganda and
Ezilweleni in Durban. The findings of this study show that women were involved at
various levels in the housing delivery process and at varying degrees.
The findings of this study yielded different levels of participation which were taken to be
indicators of the level of empowerment. These were for instance, decision-making,
implementation, post-implementation activities and small business development. In all
the areas studied, all the top leadership positions were held by men; in the lower levels
the gender representation was equal. In two areas, women played a central role in
decision-making and this appears to have been influenced by the high level of
consultation with the community. In three areas, women played a marginal role in
decision-making, an issue that appears to have been influenced by their roles in the
household as well as the influence of the local authorities in the projects. In all the areas
except one, women held their stereotypical position of secretary. Where they held the
position of treasurer, it was based on the stereotypical notion that they were more
trustworthy in money matters than men. The representation of women in decision-making
did not challenge the gender ideology that entrenches their subordination, an area that has
to be addressed in housing projects if women are to take control of their lives. Few
women compared to men were trained in construction. The reasons for this point to both
a strong male bias as well as societal attitudes about gender roles in society. Both men
and women learnt skills such as plumbing, plastering, and painting, on the job through
their involvement in providing labour. The role of women in housing delivery extended
to the post-implementation level where they were involved in urban greening and microenterprises.
Women were also involved in the production and distribution of bricks in
three communities but they did not benefit from selling to the subsidy beneficiaries, a situation that calls for government support of their activities through the awarding of
supply contracts.
The elements of these indicators point to the level of women's empowerment as shown in
the areas studied. These indicators combined to form what this study refers to as the
multi-relational linkages approach to women's participation in shelter delivery. Although
various factors are shown to constrain women's involvement at the different levels, the
model highlights the role of women and the sustainability of their empowerment as well
as the gaps, and points to ways in which these can be addressed. This study therefore
recommends the adoption of the multi-relational linkages approach in understanding
women's empowerment in shelter delivery and future policy framing . The conclusion
argues that women's participation in shelter development cannot be understood by
examining their role in one aspect of delivery; the role of women in various aspects is
what constitutes their empowerment. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2002.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:ukzn/oai:http://researchspace.ukzn.ac.za:10413/4796 |
| Date | January 2002 |
| Creators | Ndinda, Catherine. |
| Contributors | Adebayo, Ambrose A., Burns, Catherine., Charthaigh, D. Chi. |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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