Role of women: urban-rural linkages and household livelihoods

How important are rural-urban linkages to livelihoods in KwaZulu Natal? What role do women play in mobile livelihoods arrangements? This report to the Provincial Planning and Development Commission, presents the findings of a study which used sustainable livelihoods assessments as the basis for five qualitative case studies across KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.The study found that rural-urban mobility of a semi-permanent or ‘commuting’ type nature is a critical livelihoods strategy of poor households. Many semi-permanent migrants return frequently to their home base to fulfill domestic responsibilities.

More specifically, the study revealed:

• complex and well-established systems of urban-rural linkages involving the movement of people, goods and money which effectively blur the distinction between ‘urban’ and ‘rural’ contexts
• the continued predominance of traditional gender roles, but with signs of change as men return to points of origin and increasing numbers of women become more mobile and are drawn into economic activities, particularly informal trading. One consequence of these changes appears to be increasing levels of gender based violence.
  

The study gives detailed recommendations for a range of government programmes, and in general suggests that:

• provincial government departments and municipalities should reorientate existing policies and interventions to recognise and strengthen the livelihood strategies of poor households, including efforts to support their increased mobility
• the consultative process of the Integrated Development Plans has a clear place for Sustainable Livelihoods Assessments, which help identify the needs of the very poor, draw them into the ambit of the social transfer system, and expose practitioners to a range of new development possibilities.