The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe
When pandemics hit communities, women are bound to suffer as most of the responsibilities of ensuring food security lie on them. This article assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the role that church-going women play in food provision. The qualitative study used interviews and focus gr...
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| Format: | research article |
| Language: | English |
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AOSIS
2023
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| Online Access: | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5590 https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v79i3.8053 |
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| author | Sarah Y. Matanga Memory R. Mukurazhizha |
| author2 | Department of Languages and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies, Zimbabwe Open University, Marondera, Zimbabw |
| author_facet | Department of Languages and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies, Zimbabwe Open University, Marondera, Zimbabw Sarah Y. Matanga Memory R. Mukurazhizha |
| author_sort | Sarah Y. Matanga |
| collection | DSpace |
| description | When pandemics hit communities, women are bound to suffer as most of the responsibilities
of ensuring food security lie on them. This article assesses the impact of the COVID-19
pandemic on the role that church-going women play in food provision. The qualitative
study used interviews and focus group discussions to examine the toll of the pandemic-
induced restrictions, especially with regard to their disruption of activities that ensure the
provision of food for the family. They sought to identify how an environment as restrictive
as the one that was imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic affects those largely responsible
for food provision in urban Marondera – the women, in this case. The focus was extended
to factor in how disasters and pandemics affect women and detract from their normative
food procurement and provision roles in marginal societies and how these effects can be
mitigated to allow women to carry on with their roles even in restrictive environments.
This research was motivated by the recent COVID-19-imposed regulations that restricted
the movement of people, restrictions that have only recently been relaxed and (in some
cases) removed. We also sought to establish how gender roles are played out, together with
whether they are exacerbated by pandemics, and in what ways these pandemics result in
higher workloads on women. By utilising the Africana womanist theory, the study analysed
women roles in food provision and food security in their societies within the restrictive
environments of the pandemics.
Contribution: This study concluded that there are gender inequalities that are exacerbated by
these pandemics that result in higher workloads for women. It foregrounded how existing
gender inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in higher workloads on
women. It therefore recommended that women should form empowerment groups to help
focus attention on food provision to mitigate challenges women face in this role. Finally, we
averred that there ought to be consultation and participation of women on issues to do with
pandemics to allow for their full and productive participation in critical roles of providing food. |
| format | research article |
| id | ir-11408-5590 |
| institution | My University |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023 |
| publisher | AOSIS |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | ir-11408-55902023-05-04T11:14:59Z The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe Sarah Y. Matanga Memory R. Mukurazhizha Department of Languages and Literature, Faculty of Arts, Culture and Heritage Studies, Zimbabwe Open University, Marondera, Zimbabw Department of Social Work, Faculty of Social Sciences, Midlands State University, Harare, Zimbabwe COVID-19 Climate change Gender mainstreaming Food security Lockdown Pandemic Women Zimbabwe When pandemics hit communities, women are bound to suffer as most of the responsibilities of ensuring food security lie on them. This article assesses the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the role that church-going women play in food provision. The qualitative study used interviews and focus group discussions to examine the toll of the pandemic- induced restrictions, especially with regard to their disruption of activities that ensure the provision of food for the family. They sought to identify how an environment as restrictive as the one that was imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic affects those largely responsible for food provision in urban Marondera – the women, in this case. The focus was extended to factor in how disasters and pandemics affect women and detract from their normative food procurement and provision roles in marginal societies and how these effects can be mitigated to allow women to carry on with their roles even in restrictive environments. This research was motivated by the recent COVID-19-imposed regulations that restricted the movement of people, restrictions that have only recently been relaxed and (in some cases) removed. We also sought to establish how gender roles are played out, together with whether they are exacerbated by pandemics, and in what ways these pandemics result in higher workloads on women. By utilising the Africana womanist theory, the study analysed women roles in food provision and food security in their societies within the restrictive environments of the pandemics. Contribution: This study concluded that there are gender inequalities that are exacerbated by these pandemics that result in higher workloads for women. It foregrounded how existing gender inequalities were exacerbated by the pandemic, resulting in higher workloads on women. It therefore recommended that women should form empowerment groups to help focus attention on food provision to mitigate challenges women face in this role. Finally, we averred that there ought to be consultation and participation of women on issues to do with pandemics to allow for their full and productive participation in critical roles of providing food. 79 3 1 8 2023-05-04T11:14:59Z 2023-05-04T11:14:59Z 2023-03-23 research article https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5590 https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v79i3.8053 en HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies 2072-8050 open AOSIS |
| spellingShingle | COVID-19 Climate change Gender mainstreaming Food security Lockdown Pandemic Women Zimbabwe Sarah Y. Matanga Memory R. Mukurazhizha The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title | The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title_full | The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title_fullStr | The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title_short | The impact of the COVID-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: The Case of Marondera Urban in Zimbabwe |
| title_sort | impact of the covid-19 restrictions on women’s responsibility for domestic food provision: the case of marondera urban in zimbabwe |
| topic | COVID-19 Climate change Gender mainstreaming Food security Lockdown Pandemic Women Zimbabwe |
| url | https://cris.library.msu.ac.zw//handle/11408/5590 https://doi. org/10.4102/hts.v79i3.8053 |
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