Abstract: Sizani Ngubane
International Gift Economy Conference
This paper contributes to the debate about the situation of the South
African rural women pre-colonization, post colonization, the impact of
globalization, privatization and their struggles for survival on daily
basis.
In South Africa, women are half of the country's population; head 30%
of all households; represent 80% in the informal sector and are responsible
for more than half of the country food production - but women own less
than 2% of the country's land and indeed in their unequal social and economic
status, women earn less, and thus are in a most difficult and unequal
situation.
The thread of gift giving and receiving was very visible in the culture
of the South African communities before colonization: To build houses
and to plough the fields families used what they called "Ilima" as a community.
Ilima meant that if one wants to build a house or do ploughing in large
fields one had to invite neighbors and members of the community to assist,
once they are finished they will go and assist another neighbor or member
of the community.
Senior citizens, people with different abilities did not have to worry
about building their housed as the members of their families / their neighbors
will build their houses without expecting any payment / exchange of gifts.
The land was not owned by individuals -- it was regarded as a sacred gift
from "Umvelinqangi" (the Creator) and as an asset for all members of the
extended family to use and produce food for the whole family. Fifteen
year old teenagers were allocated small pieces of land called "Isife"
and were allowed to decide what they would like to grow.
The colonizers, in their efforts to create scarcity in order to dominate
the nation - they came and forcibly channeled the country's wealth i.e.
land and natural resources to few white settlers who then had power over
the majority of the indigenous people.
Impact of globalizations on women is devastating: rather than eradicate
poverty in the African countries, globalization have contributed to further
sinking the countries into economic crisis. South Africans have witnessed:
* Trade liberalization
* Privatization
* Decrease in social expenditure
* The gap between policies and implementation.
Privatization impact differently on women and men due to the fact that
women and men have different roles in production. Women are affected differently
by privatization due to the fact that more women than men are responsible
to food production; and caring for the sick. Rural female headed households
are at the bottom of the poverty heap. Privatization contributes a lot
to the:
* Decrease in social expenditure;
* increase in food and medicine prices;
* job losses and retrenchments; and
* policies that are gender blind.
Recommendation:
* Gender analysis of poverty
* Promotion of good governance
* Available information that shows the sexual division of labor in all
spheres of our lives
* Development of policies that are informed by rural women's experiences
/ poor of the poorest
* Cancellation of Debt
* Fundamental transformation must take place at all levels of the economy;
and
* Eradication of poverty
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