GENDER MAINSTREAMING ON UPLIFTING THE LIVELIHOODS OF RURAL WOMEN IN RWANDA
Abstract
How gender mainstreaming affects livelihood remains a key challenge not only in Rwanda but even globally. Despite the fact that women are the main rural actors in uplifting livelihood, they still experience an array of socioeconomic challenges that exists. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of gender mainstreaming on uplifting the livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda. This study adopted a descriptive approach where the target population comprised of the households from Gicumbi district, estimated to 395,606, with 86,075 households. The study selected a sample size of 45 households basing on Slovin’s formula. Sampling technique was stratified random sampling. The research tool was structured questionnaire, which was tested for validity and reliability before administration. Gender mainstreaming had a statistically significant strong positive correlation (r=0.538, p= .000) with uplifting the livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda. Gender mainstreaming had a statistically significant contribution to uplifting the livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda (F ratio= 55.810; p< .05) attributing 13.8% variance. It showed that for every one standard deviation increase in gender mainstreaming initiatives, uplifting livelihood improved by .194 units. In conclusion, gender mainstreaming among rural women has attributed to an uplifting livelihood in Gicumbi District, Rwanda. There was a statistically significant strong positive correlation between variations in gender mainstreaming and uplifting livelihood in rural women in Rwanda. Though gender mainstreaming among women attributed to the variation in livelihood, the contribution was quite big. This study identified the existence of policy functionality in terms of capacities and technical skills in gender analysis and planning for effective gender mainstreaming in civil society and public sector, but gender mainstreaming is treated as a goal rather than as a strategy. The study therefore recommended that the public sector should intensify its practice with a view to enhancing sustainable livelihood. Gender mainstreaming involve wide field with numerous operational interventions. Gicumbi District policy makers should therefore invest in research to identify various gender mainstreaming interventions to be used for uplifting livelihood of rural women in Rwanda. This study was not exhaustive. Therefore, further complementary researches should focus on topics that generate new approaches that push Rwandan society closer towards capturing changes in the lived realities of women throughout the world.
Key words: Gender Mainstreaming; uplifting the livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda
CITATION: Mushumba, L., & Mulyungi, P. (2020). Gender mainstreaming on uplifting the livelihoods of rural women in Rwanda. The Strategic Journal of Business & Change Management, 7(3), 973 – 983.
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Abbott, P. and Alinda, F. (2012). Women’s Economic Empowerment and Land in Rwanda. Kigali: Oxfam
Abbott, P., Malunda, D. and Tsinda (2014). Rwanda Women in Agriculture ProDoc. Prepared for African Capacity Building Foundation.
Adeleke S, Abdul B. K. and Zuzana, B. (2010). Working Paper No. 105. African Development Bank
African Development Bank. (2015). Where are the Women: Inclusive Boardrooms in Africa’s top listed companies?
Alston, M. (2016). "Gender Mainstreaming in Practice: A View from Rural Australia". National Women's Studies Association (NWSA) Journal, 18:2, pp. 123-129.
Anupriya G. (2014). 20 years after the genocide: 5 remarkable achievements made in Rwanda,
Asian Development Bank (2013). Gender equality and food security: Women’s empowerment as a tool against hunger. Retrieved from www.adb.org
Azeem, V. A., Addah, M. A., & Ahuno, J. T. (2014). Gender Perspective on Corruption: A Focus on Women's Participation in the Fight against Corruption. Accra: Ghana Integrity Initiative Beall, J. (2010). Decentralization. Women’s Rights and Poverty. Learning from India and South Africa. Elgar International Handbook on Gender and Poverty: Edward Elgar.
Bridge (2014). Gender and food security towards gender-just food and nutrition security overview report. Retrieved from http://www.bridge.ids.ac.uk/
Carson, K. and Randall, S. (2013). Gender and Development: Working with Men for Gender Equality in Rwanda. Agenda 95/27: 114-125
Catacutan, D. & Naz, F. (2015). A guide for gender mainstreaming in agroforestry research and development. Vietnam, ICRAF.
FAO (2010). Integrating gender issues in food security, agriculture and rural development. Office of Knowledge Exchange, Research and Extension, Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00153 Rome, Italy.
Gender Monitoring Office (2011b). Assessment of Gender Related International and Regional Instruments and their Implementation in Rwanda. Kigali: Republic of Rwanda
Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII). (2016). Women, Land and Corruption in Ghana. Kricyimage.
Goko, C., (2013). New gender equality bill aims to change the landscape for SA women, viewed 28 September 2013, from www.bdlive.co.za/business/2013/08/19/newgender-equality-b’ll’s-aim-to-change-landscape-for-sa-women
Hooks, J. (2010) Feminism Theory. From Margin to Centre: London, Pluto Press.
Kassie, M. Wagura, S. N., Shiferaw, B. (2012). Determinants of food security in Kenya, a gender perspective. Paper presented at the 86th Annual Conference of the Agricultural Economics Society, University of Warwick, United Kingdom 16 - 18 April 2012
Malapit, H. J., Sproule, K., Kovarika, C., Meinzen-Dick, R., Quisumbing, A., Ramzan, F., Hogue, E. and Alkire, S. (2014). Measuring Progress towards Empowerment. Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index: Baseline Report. USAid:
Minister of Finance and Economic Planning – Rwanda, Vision 2020, (July 2016), Kigali, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning
Mukunda, J. with Kazaire, J and Musindarwezo, D. (2011). Progress towards Achieving Gender Responsive Budget in Rwanda: A COS Response to Sectorial GB Statements for the FY 2011/12. Kigali: CSO
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (2011). Civil Servants Census. Kigali: NISR
National Institute of Statistics of Rwanda (2014a). GDP-National Accounts 2013. Kigali: Republic of Rwanda
Ria B. (2013). Beyond repetitive evaluations of gender mainstreaming.
Rwanda Women’s Network (2011). The Experiences of Women in Asserting their Land Rights: The Case of Bugesera District. Kigali Rwanda Women’s Network.
Roopa G. (2014). Rwandan Parliament’s Female Majority Focuses on Equality, Available at: http://www.voanews.com/content/rwandan-parliament-female-majority-targets-equality/1757899.htm
Roxane W. (2011). Lessons from Rwanda: How Women Transform Governance, Volume: 2
Senay, H., Tim, S., Lucy, W., Agnes, B. (2012). Gender, agriculture and food security. United Nations Development Programme, New York, USA.
Styodana, A., (2015). ‘Challenges in implementing gender equality policy’, Master’s dissertation, Gordon Institute of Business Science, University of Pretoria, Pretoria
United Nations Development Program (2016). African Human Development Report 2016. Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s empowerment in Africa
Unit for the Promotion of the Status of Women and Gender Equality (2010). Gender equality and equity. A summary review of UNESCO's accomplishments since the Fourth World Conference on Women Beijing 1995.
Yudhoyono, Bambang S., Sirleaf E.J & Cameron D. (2013) "A New Global Partnership: Eradicate Poverty and Transform Economies through Sustainable Development." Report of the High-Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post2015 Development Agenda. New York: United Nations
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.61426/sjbcm.v7i3.1720
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
PAST ISSUES:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.