Women In Rural Zimbabwe Research Articles

Determinants of Cervical Cancer Screening Among Rural Women in Zimbabwe.

To identify the determinants of cervical cancer (CC) screening among underserved rural women in Zimbabwe. Community-based cross-sectional survey. 840 rural women (25-65 years). A structured, pretested questionnaire was used to collect data on sociodemographic characteristics and factors influencing screening. The outcome was defined as self-reported ever screening for CC. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the association between CC screening and independent variables. Of the 840 women included, 33% had a history of screening. Women 25-45 years (adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 0.43; 95% CI: 0.30-0.61) and without medical insurance (aOR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.45-0.97) had reduced odds of CC screening. Conversely, women who had seen or heard messages on CC screening (aOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.03-2.13), were living with HIV (aOR: 1.87; 95% CI: 1.22-2.87) reported recent antibiotic use (aOR: 4.50; 95% CI: 1.47-13.79) and had malaria in the last 6 months (aOR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.02-5.86) had increased odds of CC screening. There is a need for intensified efforts to improve CC screening uptake, particularly in underserved rural areas with suboptimal screening rates and high CC burden. Strategies should include widespread tailored awareness messaging targeting younger women, women living with HIV, and women without medical insurance.

Exploring the Inclusivity and Gender Disparities in Accessing Critical Agriculture Resources in Rural Areas. Drawing Lessons From the Government of Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Policies

In order to determine how much rural women in Zimbabwe are aware of their rights, the essay compares their status to that of rural males in certain fields. According to research, the majority of women in the nation are not allowed to participate in national development efforts because of societal beliefs, gender-based violence (GBV), bias against women, gender inequality, and low economic position. According to research, women could boost yields between 20 to 30%, reducing poverty and improving food security, if they had equal control and access over productive assets as males. According to an analysis of poverty trends, women have historically and continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty in Zimbabwe. It is commonly known that the Zimbabwean Constitution is steadfastly committed to inclusiveness and gender equality. The Constitution's dedication to tackling gender inequality is upheld through the affirmative action clauses. Equal civil rights currently apply to both men and women. One of the objectives for the government, all institutions, and governmental organizations is gender parity. Men and women have a fundamental right to be treated equally, which includes the right to equal chances in the political, financial, cultural, and social arenas, as stated in the Bill of Rights found in Chapter 4 of the new Constitution.

‘I don’t like it, but I won’t leave home’: Interpersonal Factors Restricting Married Women in Rural Zimbabwe From Reporting Intimate Partner Violence

This study explores interpersonal factors that negatively impact married women’s reporting of intimate partner violence. Using the snowball sampling, the data were collected from 12 married women who had suffered intimate partner violence. The findings revealed many interpersonal factors that affect intimate partner abuse reporting, such as the length of the marriage, fear of criminal victimisation, physical impairments, trivialisation of certain types of abuse and a lack of awareness about intimate partner violence. The study calls for the need to build married women’s resilience and mobilise resources to improve their socio-economic status and break their economic dependence on abusive husbands.

Technology Adoption by Rural Women: A Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2) Analysis

This article analyses the factors that affect the adoption of technology by rural women in the Umguza district of Zimbabwe. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) model, provides the theoretical framework for understanding the factors that influence rural women’s adoption of technology. By situating the investigation within the UTAUT2 framework, the study seeks to offer a more refined understanding of the determinants affecting technology adoption among rural women and the implications for inclusivity. A deductive approach was used, and information was collected through a survey of 250 rural women in the 19 wards of Umguza district, as well as reviewing secondary data in the form of government, non-governmental, industry reports and scholarly articles. Regression analysis was used to draw insights into the factors influencing the adoption of technology by rural women. The study concluded that Performance Expectancy (PE), Facilitating conditions (FC), Social Influence (SI) and Effort Expectancy (EE) influence technology adoption by rural women in Zimbabwe. However, Hedonic Motivation (HM), Price Value (PV) and Habit (HT) were found not to influence the decision to adopt the technology. The results of this study help to shed light on the factors affecting technology adoption among rural women and map strategies to promote technology adoption. The recommendations from this study can provide insights to government, private sector, and civil society seeking to promote the adoption of technology by rural women and contribute to the body of research on digitalisation and adoption of technology by rural women.

Women entrepreneurship in marginalized communities: Does culture, Ubuntu, religiosity and ancestral relevance matter?

ABSTRACT Poverty alleviation at the bottom of the pyramid hitches, inter alia, on rural women entrepreneurship in emerging and marginalized economies. The study was focused on understanding the influence of cultural orientations (vertical individualism and horizontal collectivism) and peculiar African beliefs (social axioms) of Ubuntu, ancestral relevance and religiosity on rural women’s entrepreneurial intentions. Data was collected from 200 rural women in Zimbabwe. Analysis of data was done using structural equation modeling in Amos. Results revealed significant relationships between cultural orientations and African beliefs, as well as between Ubuntu and entrepreneurial intention. However, religiosity and ancestral relevance were not significantly related to entrepreneurial intention. In promoting rural women entrepreneurship, Governments, Non-Governmental organizations and financial institutions may include culture orientations and Ubuntu in their training manuals and also in screening potential entrepreneurs on loan applications.

The lived experiences of HIV-positive women in rural Zimbabwe: A qualitative focus group study.

The study explored and described the meaning attached to the lived experiences of women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in the rural context of Zimbabwe. Stigma and discrimination negatively impact one's ability to perform the expected social roles, the quality of life, and the efforts to prevent the spread of HIV and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and reduce HIV-related mortality. Thus, the study aims to understand the meaning attached to the lived experiences of HIV-positive women living in rural areas or villages of Matabeleland South province in Zimbabwe. The study used a qualitative, descriptive, and exploratory design. Four focus group discussions were conducted with 24 HIV-positive rural women living in Matabeleland South province, Zimbabwe. An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) was adopted to explore and describe the meaning attached to the lived experiences of women living with HIV. Two interconnected themes were identified in the analysis with their sub-themes. These were: (1) struggle for social belonging, with subthemes - loss of social belonging and reduced access to community-based empowerment opportunities and (2) struggle for maintaining the quality of life with subthemes - lack of need-based community healthcare and food insecurity. Being a woman living with HIV in rural Zimbabwe means a perpetual struggle to maintain one's humanness and quality of life.Contribution:This study's results will support the efforts of the Zimbabwean government to improve the quality of life of HIV-positive women living in rural areas.

Nature of Rural Women’s Financial Exclusion in Zimbabwe.

Most rural women in the developing world are financially excluded from the formal financial sector. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of rural women’s financial exclusion in developing nations. Causes of rural women’s financial exclusion is discussed. This helps governments, agro-based companies, banks and development partners to understand the extent of rural women’s financial exclusion so that measurements to address such issues can be made. A desk research was used to carry out the study. Most literature show that rural women in Zimbabwe do not have the Know Your Customer (KYC) requirements needed by banks and financial institutions to open bank accounts and access loans for income generating projects. Banks do not want to relocate to rural areas because rural women are not an attractive clientele due to the feminisation of poverty rampant in rural areas. In most developing countries, just as is the case in Zimbabwe, there is a bias towards urban areas in the financial sector. Rural women do not own the acceptable collateral. Men own most of the acceptable collateral. There are also gender inequalities in the access to financial services in rural areas besides women constituting the largest population in world’s rural areas.

Uncovering barriers to bilharzia prevention communication in Ugu district, South Africa

Female Genital Schistosomiasis (FGS), commonly referred to as Female Bilharzia (FB), is aprevalent yet socially obscure disease. Caused by a waterborne parasite, it affects millionsof people all over the world. Although it is a global health concern, FB is more pervasive inSub-Saharan Africa. Motivated by the rapid response to treatment as demonstrated by ruralZimbabwean women, an organisation known as the FB Project conducted research exclusivelywith this group. Based in KwaZulu-Natal’s Ugu District (Port Shepstone), the FB Project soughtto raise an awareness of, to treat and ultimately eradicate the FB threat. This study investigatedthe most appropriate communication tools for achieving these goals. In 2012, in-depth semistructuredinterviews were conducted with a sample of 20 female teenagers from both rural andurban areas across the Ugu District. Their perceptions of this issue highlighted various sociocultural,economic and logistical constraints to effective FB communication. This paper exploresthese barriers and the implications they have for realising the project’s goals. The opinions thatare voiced by the participants underscore the value of adopting a participatory communicationapproach to addressing a health problem. The researcher’s observations are also integrated into thediscussion. The responses gathered from the participants were considered as recommendationsthat could support the design of a contextually-sensitive FB awareness campaign.

Maternal Capabilities Are Associated with Child Caregiving Behaviors Among Women in Rural Zimbabwe

BackgroundYoung children require high-quality care for healthy growth and development. We defined “maternal capabilities” as factors that influence mothers’ caregiving ability (physical and mental health, social support, time, decision-making autonomy, gender norm attitudes, and mothering self-efficacy), and developed survey tools to assess them. ObjectivesWe hypothesized that mothers with stronger capabilities during pregnancy would be more likely to practice improved care behaviors after their child was born. MethodsWe assessed maternal capabilities among 4667 pregnant women newly enrolled in the Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial. Several improved child-care practices were promoted until 18 mo postpartum, the trial endpoint. Care practices were assessed by survey, direct observation, or transcription from health records during postpartum research visits. We used logistic regression to determine the predictive association between maternal capabilities during pregnancy and child-care practices. ResultsMothers with more egalitarian gender norm attitudes were more likely to have an institutional delivery [adjusted OR (AOR), 2.06; 95% CI, 1.57–2.69], initiate breastfeeding within 1 h of delivery (AOR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.03–1.84), exclusively breastfeed (EBF) from birth to 3 mo (AOR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.95–3.35) and 3–6 mo (AOR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.36–2.25), and, among households randomized to receive extra modules on sanitation and hygiene, have soap and water at a handwashing station (AOR, 1.76; 95% CI, 1.29–2.39). Mothers experiencing time stress were less likely to EBF from birth to 3 mo (AOR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66–0.93). Greater social support was associated with institutional delivery (AOR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.37–1.98) and, among mothers randomized to receive extra complementary feeding modules, feeding children a minimally diverse diet (AOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.01–1.37). Depressed mothers were 37% and 33%, respectively, less likely to have an institutional delivery (AOR, 0.63; 95% CI, 0.44–0.88) and a fully immunized child (AOR, 0.67; 95% CI, 0.50–0.90). ConclusionsInterventions to reduce maternal depression, time stress, inadequate social support, and inequitable gender norms may improve maternal child caregiving.

The Friendship Bench as a brief psychological intervention with peer support in rural Zimbabwean women: a mixed methods pilot evaluation

AbstractBackgroundThere is a large treatment gap for common mental disorders in rural areas of low-income countries. We tested the Friendship Bench as a brief psychological intervention delivered by village health workers (VHWs) in rural Zimbabwe.MethodsRural women identified with depression in a previous trial received weekly home-based problem-solving therapy from VHWs for 6 weeks, and joined a peer-support group. Depression was assessed using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and Shona Symptom Questionnaire (SSQ). Acceptability was explored through in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The proportion of women with depression pre- and post-intervention was compared using McNemar's test.ResultsTen VHWs delivered problem-solving therapy to 27 women of mean age 33 years; 25 completed six sessions. Women valued an established and trustful relationship with their VHW, which ensured confidentiality and prevented gossip, and reported finding individual problem-solving therapy beneficial. Peer-support meetings provided space to share problems, solutions and skills. The proportion of women with depression or suicidal ideation on the EPDS declined from 68% to 12% [difference 56% (95% confidence interval (CI) 27.0–85.0);p= 0.001], and the proportion scoring high (>7) on the SSQ declined from 52% to 4% [difference 48% (95% CI 24.4–71.6);p< 0.001] after the 6-week intervention.ConclusionVHW-delivered problem-solving therapy and peer-support was acceptable and showed promising results in this pilot evaluation, leading to quantitative and qualitative improvements in mental health among rural Zimbabwean women. Scale-up of the Friendship Bench in rural areas would help close the treatment gap for common mental disorders.

Women Traditional Psychosocial Coping Mechanisms Against Domestic Violence in Zimbabwe

In spite of the numerous efforts to reduce domestic violence, including a robust legal and constitutional framework, the phenomenon remains high especially among women in rural Zimbabwe. This study examined the reasons why women in rural settings in Mashonaland Central are not willing to utilize the various legal and constitutional instruments for their own protection. The study explored the traditional psychosocial coping mechanisms for women against domestic violence in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe. The study relied on Galtung’s Conflict, Violence and Peace theory as the theoretical framework. The research was qualitative and employed a case study research design. Snowball sampling and purposive sampling were used to identify survivors of domestic violence and key informants. The study revealed that women are employing traditional psychosocial coping mechanisms such as silence, family support systems, religious belief systems and endurance to cope with violence. These practices are grounded in cultural and social practices purportedly aimed at preserving the family institution. The study concludes that these cultural practices have undermined the good intentions of the legal and constitutional frameworks that are in place to fight domestic violence and women abuse and recommends an approach that tries to deal with these strong cultural beliefs to make the laws effective.

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cervical Cancer screening among HIV-positive and HIV-negative women participating in human papillomavirus screening in rural Zimbabwe

BackgroundWomen in low- and middle-income countries are at the highest risk of cervical cancer yet have limited access to and participation in cervical cancer screening programs. Integrating self-collected, community-based screening offers a potential primary screening method in areas of limited resources. In this paper, we present a study evaluating knowledge, attitudes, and practices of cervical cancer and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) in rural Zimbabwe.MethodsWe performed a community-based cross-sectional knowledge, attitudes and practices of HPV and cervical cancer study in rural Zimbabwe from January 2017–May 2017. Women were selected for the study via random number generation from complete lists of inhabitants in the study area if they satisfied the inclusion criteria (≥30-years-old, ≤65-years-old, not pregnant, intact uterus). If selected, they participated in a 19-question structured knowledge, attitudes and practices survey. The questionnaire included questions on demographics, education, knowledge of HPV, cervical cancer, and risk factors. Chi-squared tests were evaluated comparing knowledge, attitudes and practices relating to HPV and cervical cancer screening with actual infection with HPV. Women were also offered a voluntary HIV and self-collected HPV screening.ResultsSix hundred seventy-nine women were included in the knowledge, attitudes and practices survey. Most women (81%) had heard of cervical cancer while the majority had not heard of HPV (12%). The number of women that had been screened previously for cervical cancer was low (5%). There were no significant differences between and within groups regarding knowledge of cervical cancer and actual overall infection with HR-HPV, HPV 16, and HPV 18/45 test results.ConclusionsMost women in rural Zimbabwe have heard of cervical cancer, but the number that had been screened was low. Extending existing outreach services to include cervical cancer screening, potentially including HPV screening, should include cervical cancer/HPV education and screening triage. This approach would serve to bridge the gap between knowledge and screening availability to address some of the barriers to cervical cancer care still affecting women in many regions of the world.

Coping Strategies Adopted by Women Who Experienced Intimate Partner Violence in the Context of Social Norms in Rural Areas in Zimbabwe.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) has detrimental effects on the welfare of women. Research on the coping strategies employed by rural women in Zimbabwe is notably lacking, despite the fact that the majority of Zimbabwean women reside in rural areas. Therefore, this study sought to explore the strategies that women in rural areas used to manage and cope with IPV. The study adopted a qualitative research approach, and participants were recruited through the purposive sampling method in Chimanimani Rural District, Eastern Highlands, Zimbabwe. Face-to-face interviews using a narrative approach were conducted with 25 women between 19 and 49 years and seven key informants. The 25 women consisted of women who had left abusive relationships and were selected on the basis that they should have experienced IPV in their former relationships. Current IPV victims were excluded from the study. All the interviews were recorded, with participants' consent, to avoid loss of data. Data was analyzed by the author and an additional independent data analyst using thematic analysis. Findings from this study revealed that social norms influenced participants' covert coping behavior, which include acceptance of abuse and prayer. There is need to strengthen the existing coping strategies that are utilized by women as these could be the starting point for intervention efforts. This is important as it enables practitioners to develop context-specific and context-driven intervention strategies that will effectively serve the victims in their distinctive situation(s).

Micro-finance as a Tool for Financial Access, Poverty Alleviation and Women Empowerment in Bindura District, Zimbabwe

The purpose of this study was to understand the role of micro-finance as a tool for women empowerment in Bindura Rural District of Zimbabwe. Qualitative methodology was used. Data collection methods used included semi-structured interviews, documentary search. The respondents for the study were drawn from rural women who had accessed loans from MFI, managers of MFI and the Zimbabwe Association of Micro Finance Institutions. The study found out that access to credit has positive outcomes on production, income, and consumption at household and macro-economic levels. Rural women in Zimbabwe lack adequate access to formal credit. The study found that that lack of adequate access to credit have significant negative effect on technology adoption, agricultural productivity, food security, nutrition, health, and overall welfare. The study concludes that the lack of collateral of the poor, their demand for smaller loans, and high transaction cost associated with small loans are the main factors that the poor are excluded from formal credit services.

Whole-Genome Analysis of Cervical Human Papillomavirus Type 35 from rural Zimbabwean Women

Human papillomavirus (HPV) types differ by geographic location and the ethnicity of the human host, which may have implications for carcinogenicity. HPV35 is one of the least frequently identified high-risk types in North America and Europe but was the most common high-risk HPV (hrHPV) infection in a cohort in rural Zimbabwe. Whole genome analysis is limited for HPV35; no such studies have been performed in Zimbabwe. Of 648 women in the initial cohort in Zimbabwe, 19 (19/648, 2.9%) tested positive for HPV35, and eight samples were successfully sequenced for HPV35. The maximum number of sequence variants for the whole genome was 58 nucleotides (0.7%) compared to the prototype (58/7879). The maximum number of sequence variants in E6 and E7 was 3 (3/450, 0.7%) 2 (2/300, 0.7%), respectively. These are the first HPV35 whole genome sequences from Zimbabwe, and these data further lend support to the carcinogenicity of HPV35 despite limited sequence heterogeneity. Further studies to determine carcinogenic effects and impact of HPV vaccinations are warranted, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Rural Women as Entrepreneurs in the Context of Patriarchy: Experiences of Female Entrepreneurs in Mudzi District, Zimbabwe

This article reports on a study which aimed to examine the varied experiences of women involved in business across rural spaces in the context of patriarchy through an exploration of their narratives highlighting their challenges, successes, fears and hopes. The assumption of the study was that rural women in Zimbabwe occupy a particularly difficult space because of numerous structural impediments which include patriarchy, unequal access to skills, capital inadequacy and exclusion from formal economic systems. The study sought to provide a nuanced understanding of female entrepreneurship in African spaces with the aim of showing that there are varied stories of agency, challenges, successes and failures that can be documented. The study utilised qualitative methods which sought a nuanced analysis of women’s experiences in Mudzi District, Mashonaland East Province, Zimbabwe. The data was collected through life histories, focus group discussions and key informant interviews. A total of 34 participants were recruited for the study through purposive and snowball sampling techniques. The participants included women involved in a varied number of entrepreneurial activities such as bread making, vending, dress making, poultry and running micro enterprises. The findings showed that whilst women face multiple structural impediments as entrepreneurs, they are active agents questioning and shaping their social spaces through business. Women embarking on entrepreneurial activities is in itself seen as a serious challenge against patriarchal structures.

Determinants of Urogenital Schistosomiasis Among Pregnant Women and its Association With Pregnancy Outcomes, Neonatal Deaths, and Child Growth.

Background Schistosoma haematobium is a parasitic helminth that causes urogenital pathology. The impact of urogenital schistosomiasis during pregnancy on birth outcomes and child growth is poorly understood.MethodsRisk factors for urogenital schistosomiasis were characterized among 4437 pregnant women enrolled in a cluster-randomized community-based trial in rural Zimbabwe. Infection was defined via urine microscopy (≥1 S. haematobium egg) and urinalysis (hematuria). Associations between infection and pregnancy outcomes were assessed in case-control analyses using conditional logistic regression. The association of maternal infection with birthweight and length-for-age Z scores (LAZ) at 1 and 18 months of age were assessed using generalized estimating equations.ResultsUrogenital schistosomiasis (egg positive and/or hematuria positive) was detected in 26.8% of pregnant women. Risk factors significantly associated with infection were maternal age, education, marital status, and religion; household drinking water source and latrine; study region; and season. Urogenital schistosomiasis was not significantly associated with adverse pregnancy outcomes (miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm, and small-for-gestational age), birthweight, neonatal death, or LAZ.ConclusionsIncluding pregnant women in antihelminthic treatment programs would benefit a large number of women in rural Zimbabwe. However, clearance of the low-intensity infections that predominate in this context is unlikely to have additive benefits for pregnancy outcomes or child growth.Clinical Trials RegistrationNCT01824940.

Home is best: Why women in rural Zimbabwe deliver in the community.

Maternal mortality in Zimbabwe has unprecedentedly risen over the last two and half decades although a decline has been noted recently. Many reasons have been advanced for the rising trend, including deliveries without skilled care, in places without appropriate or adequate facilities to handle complications. The recent decline has been attributed to health systems strengthening through a multi-donor pooled funding mechanism. On the other hand, the proportion of community deliveries has also been growing steadily over the years and in this study we investigate why. We used twelve (12) focus group discussions with child-bearing women and eight (8) key informant interviews (KIIs). Four (4) were traditional birth attendants and four (4) were spiritual birth attendants. A thematic approach was used to analyse the data in Ethnography software. The study shows that women prefer community deliveries due to perceived low economic, social and opportunity costs involved; pliant and flexible services offered; and diminishing quality and appeal of institutional maternity services. We conclude that rural women are very economic, logical and rational in making choices on place of delivery. Delivering in the community offers financial, social and opportunity advantages to disenfranchised women, particularly in remote rural areas. We recommend for increased awareness of the dangers of community deliveries; establishment of basic obstetric care facilities in the community and more efficient emergency referral systems. In the long-term, there should be a sustainable improvement of the public health delivery system to make it accessible, affordable and usable by the public.

Determinants of recent aflatoxin exposure among pregnant women in rural Zimbabwe.

Aflatoxins (AFs) are toxic secondary metabolites of Aspergillus species that contaminate staple foods such as maize and groundnuts. AF exposure during pregnancy has been associated with adverse birth outcomes in limited-scale surveys in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to describe the determinants of AF exposure, using urinary aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) biomarkers and data generated by the Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial for rural Zimbabwean women in early pregnancy. Sanitation Hygiene Infant Nutrition Efficacy is a large, cluster-randomized community-based trial in Zimbabwe designed to investigate the independent and combined effects of nutrition and hygiene interventions on early child growth. Urine samples collected from 1580 pregnant women in rural Zimbabwe at median gestational age of 13.9 wk were measured for AFM1. AFM1 was detected in 30% of samples (median of exposed, 162 pg AFM1/mg creatinine; range 30-6046 pg AFM1/mg). In multivariable ordinal logistic models, geographical location (p<0.001), seasonality (p < 0.001) and dietary practices (p = 0.011) were significant predictors of urinary AFM1. This is the largest AF biomarker survey conducted in Zimbabwe, and demonstrated frequent exposure in pregnant women with clear temporal and spatial variability in AF biomarker levels.

Pushing the limits of motherhood: Narratives of older women in rural Zimbabwe

ABSTRACTDrawing on narratives of rurally-based Zimbabwean older women, this article analyses experiences of motherhood in relation to the country’s shifting economic and socio-political landscapes. The narratives of these older women, who have nurtured their children and continue to do so way into (their children’s) adulthood, push scholars to grapple with questions of motherhood in respect of ‘intensive mothering’. Intensive mothering points at the exclusivity of motherhood which frames the responsibility to provide and care for the children during their formative years as virtually the mother’s. Older women in this article are second and third generation mothers whose narratives challenge constructions of motherhood which limit intensive mothering to the formative stages of children’s lifecycle. The narratives raise questions like ‘when does a woman cease to be a hands-on mother who vigorously provides for her adult children?’ Such questions are a way into existential and contextual realities of ageing in rural Zimbabwe. Contextual-based analyses explore the interaction between motherhood, socioeconomic and political change in Zimbabwe through language that assigns meaning to motherhood, ageing, and the state. Overall, the article offers the reader insight into how questions of motherhood, ageing, and the state might affect women located within equally volatile contexts across the globe.