Market stalls as a space for women’s socio-economic empowerment in Kira Municipality

Abstract

The study assessed whether Market Stalls are a space for women’s Socio-Economic Empowerment of in Kira Municipality. The study objectives were: were to explore the women’s access to and the use of market stalls in Kira Municipality; to investigate socio-economic status of women using market stalls in Kira municipality; and to analyze whether access to and use of market stalls has led to socio-economic empowerment of women in Kira Municipality. The study used a cross-sectional research design with both qualitative and quantitative approaches. Quantitative data was gathered from 90 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire from women with market stalls. Qualitative data was collected from 2 municipality officials, 2 political leaders, 3market leaders, 3 focused group discussions each involving 8 respondents and 10 in-depth interviews with women working in market stalls. The study findings indicate that women in Kiira municipality found it easy to access stalls in the market. The study went deeper to understand whether access meant use, given that one can access a stall but may not use it. Indeed, some of the participants reported lack of capital as a constraint to make effective use of their stalls. Access to credit was found challenging as financial institutions require a lot from women to access credit which many women cannot meet. Relatedly, effective use of stalls requires women to have business and entrepreneur skills. Unfortunately, findings indicate that some groups of women especially those ones with none and primary level of education find it challenging to calculate the interest rate and the profits. Concerning whether access to and use of market stalls has led to socio-economic empowerment of women in Kira Municipality, the study establishes a double-edged scenario. One is that some of the women particularly those that had stayed longer in the market or those that had proved resilient, indicate aspects of empowerment. These aspects include women’s improved agency and decision making regarding the use of their money, decision making at home, their ability to contribute to the running of their homes including paying school fees, paying health care bills, buying food among others. However, the same study shows that some women are just „hanging‟ in the business. They only manage to eat or feed their families but cannot easily show whether they make profit or not. They do not have property as a result of working on the market stall and they reported stress related to the multiple roles they have to juggle out. As Naila Kabeer narrates, these women’s work in the stalls seems to be a „distress sale of labor‟. In this case therefore, stalls a capable of empowering women. However, the constraints to women including lack of capital, limited business skills, lack of trusted and affordable credit, and gender norms among others may constrain women from achieving meaningful empowerment.