Badstue, L. et al. (2020) ‘How local gender norms and intra-household dynamics shape women’s demand for labour saving technologies: insights from maize-based livelihoods in Ethiopia and Kenya’, Gender, Technology and Development, 24(3), pp. 341–361.
The reliance of agricultural activities on the labour force and its negative correlation with productivity is discussed at the introductory part of the paper. The availability of affordable mechanisation is discussed as having positive correlation with productivity and reducing labour constraints. The research focused on maize-based livelihood and the existing gender norms regarding labour division in Ethiopia and Kenya. It has been noted that both male and women are playing a great role in agricultural activities, however women are subjected to a double burden as they are responsible for reproductive work and agricultural Labour burden. Although women exert intensive labour for agriculture, there is low demand for adoption of mechanisation to perform major tasks women are engaging in. Accordingly, this study attempted to identify factors influencing women demand and use of farm mechanisation and how gender norm is further contributing for this.
To analyse women’s demand and adoption of labour-saving technologies the author interlinked four important dimensions on gender relation. According to the author, the first dimension is labour division and gender that requires analysis of productive and reproductive tasks and community related roles. The second dimension is gender norms that examine the recognition and value given to the labour exerted by household members. The third dimension is access to and control over resources, including land, trees, plants and availability and adoption of mechanised equipment and other inputs. The fourth dimension is the intra-household decision-making dimension which focuses on decision making on acquisition or sale of assets, labour allocations, income and benefits and the role of dominant norms in decision making.
The author used a qualitative research approach. Focus Group Discussion, Semi-structured Interview and Key Informant Interview were employed to collect data. The study found that labour division and gender in the study areas are correlated. Accordingly, even if male take the lion share regarding land preparation, planting and weeding, women also contribute a lot though it went unrecognised. Even in male headed households women are assigned with the tasks of discharging the weeds from the field and transporting the product to market on their backs. According to this study, in addition to their agricultural labour contributions, women are also responsible for all reproductive and household related work, including child – and elder care, food preparation, washing, cleaning, and the collection of fuel, water, and fodder. This high labour intensity negatively affected women’s overall well being and health. Their productivity and efficiency is also hugely affected particularly in maize farming. Women in FHH appeared to have the highest labour burden of all and therefore tended to be more affected. Regarding labour division and gender, the study found that women’s work burden constrained their opportunities to engage in other income generating activities that could have given them access to resources and reduced their agricultural labour burden.
Generally, the author argued that in all the study areas, a combination of forces found to work against women’s demand and adoption of labour-saving technologies. The major contributing factors for these are norms about good women working hard and long hours, low recognition of women’s labour, Norms against women voicing concerns about their individual wellbeing; and norms against women’s independence, including their owning and controlling resources.