ECONOMIC STRESSORS AND COPING STRATEGIES OF SINGLE MOTHERS LIVING IN POVERTY IN ZIMBABWE

Vimbainashe Matsai,Tanusha Raniga

doi:10.15270/57-2-928

Abstract

The economic experiences of single mothers working in the informal economy receives little attention in public policy debates and social development transformative interventions. This study qualitatively explored the economic experiences of eight single mothers who worked in the informal economy in Zimbabwe. Drawing on African feminism, the authors present the biographical profiles of these mothers and discuss three key themes: financial hardships, social discrimination and safety nets. The article concludes with some considerations for harnessing the valuable contributions made by single mothers to the informal economy.

Highlights

There is a dearth of evidence in both the Global North and the Global South that addresses the effects of single motherhood on children and relatively few studies have examined single mothers’ experiences of economic stressors and coping strategies while working in the informal economy (Aloa, 2012; Amato, 2010; Azuka-Obieke, 2013; Dowd, 2017)
It is important that policy makers advocate for social protection legislation in Zimbabwe to assist single-mother households to supplement the menial income received from working in the informal economy;
The lobbying by social workers and other advocacy groups to ensure visibility and accountability by the state to adequately address the economic and educational needs of single mothers who work in the informal economy is necessary;

Summary

Introduction

There is a dearth of evidence in both the Global North and the Global South that addresses the effects of single motherhood on children and relatively few studies have examined single mothers’ experiences of economic stressors and coping strategies while working in the informal economy (Aloa, 2012; Amato, 2010; Azuka-Obieke, 2013; Dowd, 2017). This article presents one sub-set of data from a broader study that investigated the economic experiences and coping strategies of single mothers in Zimbabwe. Empirical evidence from the USA in 2018 revealed that the number of single-mother households was estimated at fifteen million (United States Census Bureau, 2018). Empirical evidence reveals that the proportion of single-parent households has increased in Europe and Africa (Amaoteng, 2007; Holborn & Eddy, 2011; Raniga & Mthembu, 2016). In the UK the number of children living in single-mother households had increased from 13% in 1968 to 32% in 2016 (Nkerewu & Udisi, 2016). In Africa the proportion of children who live in single-mother households ranges between 10% in Nigeria to 30% in Zimbabwe (Chani, 2018)

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion