Exploring the intersection of motherhood and work for women working in the NGO sector in Harare, Zimbabwe

Mutariswa, Runyararo. (2020). Exploring the intersection of motherhood and work for women working in the NGO sector in Harare, Zimbabwe. Dearcadh: Graduate Journal of Gender, Globalisation and Rights, 1. doi:https://doi.org/10.13025/1a39-bz98

Abstract

Gender equality, built on the principle of equal opportunities, maintains that women and men’s equality is based on the availability of equal access to resources, funding and opportunities. Through this principle women have gained access to public life and form a good proportion of the world’s working population. However, other social arrangements such as motherhood and associated care remain largely unchanged and may disrupt delivery of equality of outcomes between men and women participating in public life. This paper details research that investigated how women working in the Zimbabwean NGO sector reconcile motherhood and work. The research illuminates the disadvantages that women in the stated category face at the intersection of motherhood and work. The research reveals there is a divergence between work and mothering demands, leaving women overstretched in both directions. Maids serve as a key support mechanism for working women, which the research reveals as problematic to achieving gender equality and the ideals of equity and justice.

Publisher

School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Galway

Rights

CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IE

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Collections

School of Political Science & Sociology (Scholarly Articles)