MODULE 5:WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT
-select one of the women’s
TOPIC GENERAL OBJECTIVES
Learners should be able to:
Women in Development Develop an understanding
and appreciation of the role
of women in development.
SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES
Learners should be able to:
-discuss the role of women in
traditional societies with
reference to labour, food
production, arable farming,
animal husbandry and family
welfare;
-discuss the impact of
traditional values, customs
and practices, taboos and
myth on women’s position in
society;
-assess the impact of
colonialism on the position of
women in society in relation
to education, land
entitlement, wages, labour,
migratory labour and
commercial farming;
-discuss issues relating to
emerging roles of women
such as equal access to jobs,
new policies, women oriented
schemes and female headed
households;
-assess the role played by
women in the politics of
Southern Africa with specific
reference to pre-
independence and post-
independence eras;
-account for the emergence
and development of the
lobbyist, educational, legal
and welfarist women’s
organisations;
-examine the role of women’s
organisations in the
prevention of HIV/AIDS and
other communicable diseases;
organisations in Botswana
and evaluate its role and
effectiveness;
-explain the role of women in
the formal and informal
sectors of the economy;
-account for the disparity in
the wealth distribution
between women and men in
Botswana;
-discuss women’s problems
in Botswana and suggest
possible solutions.
EXPLANATION OF CONCEPTS
Women-female adult person
Man –male adult person
Sex –the state of being female or male
Gender –being feminine or masculine
Gender Equality-giving females the same treatment as males in the
society.
Gender Discrimination-unfair treatment of someone based on sex.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN TRADITIONAL SOCIETIES
 Childbearing, this was among the main role that a woman played.
 Family welfare, she cared for the children, the elderly and the
sick.
 Domestic work, women had to fetch water and firewood, cook and
feed the family members. They were also expected to sweep the
compound, wash clothes for every member of the family.
 Community work, they were involved in community projects  Women too busy being mothers- women denied high
such as ceremonies like funerals and weddings and religious positions/women outside decision making or leadership/ few
activities. women in the formal sector/ women tied to the home/ women
 Agricultural production, women were involved in weeding, dependent on men/women’s health at stake.
harvesting and storing crops. They also raised small livestock like  Women lose energy in bearing children- women discouraged from
chickens. attaining high education/ few role models for the girl child.
 Domestic chores
 Gathering wild fruits Leadership, women are thought to be less intelligent than men, therefore,
 Bearing/raising children leadership positions were reserved for men only.
 labour at community activities
Consequently, most laws oppressed women, for example, no women could
 Caring for the old/sick/family welfare
own property, unless through their husbands or the sons.
 Food production/arable agriculture/crop farming
 Taking care of small livestock
ASSIGNMENTS: Discuss at least three traditional practices, values,
 Construct walls of mud hut/house
taboos and myths that have reduced the status of women to that of
 Custodians of culture servitude in the society.
THE IMPACT OF TRADITIONAL BELIEFS ON WOMEN’S
THE IMPACT OF COLONIALISM ON WOMEN
POSITION IN THE SOCIETY
 Education, Europeans believed that women’s place was in the
kitchen, and that they had weak brains, therefore educating them
was not a priority.
Consequently, they remained ignorant about family planning and
reproductive health. Girls were only given specific training for
domestic work, especially in the homes of the colonizers.
 Land Entitlement, land was a communal property in pre-colonial
societies. The introduction of the right to individual ownership of
land by the colonizers was not extended to women.
This impoverished many as they could not carry out any activity
on the land without permission from their male counterparts.
 Eve was made out of Adam makes women inferior to men/ woman  Migratory labour, when men went to work outside in the mines
to be follower of man and farms in South Africa, their wives were not allowed to join
 Women having smaller heads-women denied a chance to go to them.
school/ girls in school put into easy subjects/ women trained for Women thus remained at home and assumed the roles previously
low paying jobs. done by men. In most cases, decisions and thus had to wait for
their husbands. Marriages also broke up.

 Commercial farming, generally there was low agricultural
productivity since the able bodied men were absent.
THE POSITIVE EFFECTS OF COLONIALISM ON WOMEN IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
 -Modern health care/family planning
 -Paid employment
 -Women became literate
 -Improved technology
 -Commercial farming/cash crops
 -Reduction of abusive traditional practices (due to Christianity)
 -Property ownership, for example, land in urban areas.
However, women needed cash to purchase what they needed, and
sometimes pay for school fees. This forced some women to sell the surplus
from their fields for cash. Shortage of food resulted in malnutrition and
people were prone to diseases.
THE ROLE PLAYED BY WOMEN IN POLITICS IN
SOUTHERN AFRICA
During the struggles and negotiations for independence and liberation
women participated as leaders of women’s wing of their organisations.
 In South Africa, women like Winnie Madigizela Mandela and
Mrs. R. Sobukwa led other women opposing apartheid laws.
They instigated other women to stage demonstrations.
 In Zimbabwe, women formed 25% of the cadres of the
Zimbabwe African National Liberation Army (ZANLA)
 Women also cooked, fed and provided medication to the male
freedom fighters. They also repair cars and ammunition.
After independence, women participated fully in the development of their
new nations since they now had voting rights.
Today women are decision makers in parliament, cabinet, government
institutions and Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs).
THE EMERGING ROLES OF WOMEN
Women’s status has improved. Laws have been passed to ensure that
women are not oppressed or discriminated against.
 Female-headed households
 Equal access to jobs
 Training
 Entrepreneur activities
 Agriculture
ASSIGNMENTS: Discuss freedoms enjoyed by today’s women under the
following: women oriented schemes, access to jobs, new policies and
female headed households.
THE ROLE OF WOMEN IN THE FORMAL AND INFORMAL
SECTORS
The formal and informal sector today form pillars of the Botswana
economy.
Women in Botswana have greatly contributed to the development of the
country’s economy through the formal and informal sectors.
THE FORMAL SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY
- In the formal sector women work or do modern activities such as
accounting, teaching, nursing and other professions both in the
private and government departments.
- Most of the women are, however, found in low paying jobs.
- In instances where both the men and the women do the same job
they get the same pay.
- The only problem arising in most cases is that not many women
occupy senior positions.
- The formal sector is the part of the county’s economy that is
organised by the government and large firms.
- It consists of modern activities such industries, business and
commercial activities and government agencies.
 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE FORMAL SECTOR THE
ECONOMY
- The workplace is up-to-date and in most cases permanent.
- T he private companies pay tax to the government and run
according to the state laws.
- Workers get regular wages and are protected by the country’s laws.
- Workers have written contracts with their employees.
- Employees are free to belong to trade unions.
- The jobs often require skill and training.
- Production is usually done on a large scale basis.
- Employees receive regular wages or salaries.
- Complex technology is often used.
ASSIGNMENT: Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the
formal sector.
THE INFORMAL SECTOR OF THE ECONOMY
- The majority of women are found in the informal sector of the
economy.
- Here they operate tuck-shops, brew and sell beer, mend clothes,
design clothes and do other things.
- The jobs the women do here do not need any complicated skills,
and as such even those with no or very little education can do
them.
- The problem with the informal sector is that profits may take long
to be achieved, and therefore, requires somebody who has the
patience to wait.
- This sector of the economy is not organised by individuals, and not
the government nor registered companies.
- It consists of small, locally owned workshops and home factories,
fruits, vegetable, clothes and jewellery markets, selling of firewood
etc.
CHARACTERISTICS
 The people are usually self-employed or provide service on small
basis for others.
 The wages are not guaranteed.
 The jobs and workers do not belong to trade unions.
ASSIGNMENT: Discuss the advantages and the disadvantages of the
informal sector.
THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS OF THE
INFORMAL SECTOR
- The registration of some jobs.
- They encourage skill acquisition training for all economic
activities.
- They encourage the use of appropriate technology and the local
resources.
- They provide environmental education in order to reduce pollution
of the environment.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN INFORMAL AND FORMAL
SECTORS OF THE ECONOMY
- Informal sector is unregistered whilst the formal sector is
registered or documented or the owners hold licence to do it.
- Informal sector is unprotected by the law whilst the formal sector
is protected by the law.
- Informal sector has flexible working hours whilst the formal sector
has fixed working hours.
- Informal sector uses simple technology whilst formal sector uses
complex technology
- Informal sector is done on small scale whilst the formal sector is
done on a large scale
- Informal sector is done in temporary shelters or in the open whilst
formal sector has permanent buildings
- In informal sector, workers use natural talents while in the formal
sector people are trained for the work
- In the informal sector, taxes to the government are unpaid or
ignored but in the formal sector tax is paid
- In the informal sector, there is lack of trade unions but in the
formal sector trade union exist
- Wages in the informal sector are unguaranteed or irregular but in
the formal sector wages are regular/ guaranteed.
 THE PROBLEMS FACED BY THE INFORMAL SECTOR
- Lack of capital/small gain/profit
- Lack of entrepreneurship skills
- Lack of proper shelter for operation so production is disturbed by
harsh weather
- Little market/competition for the formal sector/ competition among
themselves
- Lack of security so cases of theft are common
- Goods of poor quality due to poor technology
- Harassment by law officers
- Lack of credit worthiness
- Lack of recognition by the government.
WOMEN CONTRIBUTION TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN
THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN BOTSWANA
- Dominate specific important enterprises like catering,
dressmaking, child care/ provide services
- They utilise their natural skills like cleaning, cooking, weaving/
traditional skills/ use less business skills
- They create jobs for other people/self employment
- They provide a market for producers of specific materials like
cotton, wool, reeds for weaving/ increases market
- They can develop into cottage industry, for example, making cakes
at home for supermarkets
- They train themselves/ others/impart knowledge and skills to
others
- They form self help groups
THE REASONS FOR THE RAPID GROWTH OF INFORMAL
SECTOR IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
- The informal sector requires little capital to start
- They utilises natural skills/traditional skills/uses less business
skills
- There is less requirements for registration and licensing/ less paper
work
- There is high unemployment/ little expansion in the formal
sector/creation of employment for the unskilled
- The goods are attractive for their traditional value, for example,
arts and crafts.
- Their operations can be done anywhere.
- The goods are mostly affordable.
- They Use simple and intermediate technology
THE REASONS FOR ECONOMIC DISPARITY BETWEEN
WOMEN AND MEN IN BOTSWANA
Men in Botswana are wealthier than their women counterparts and occupy
most high posts. This is because of many reasons which include the
following;
 Men have had technical skills for a long time. When colonialists
introduced education, only boys were sent to school.
 With training and education, men learnt about ways of
accumulating money which they later invested in other areas.
 The men have always owned property, for example, land and cattle
which they have inherited.
 Many years of leadership have made men to be better decision-
makers and has helped them use their money wisely.
THE PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN IN BOTSWANA
Although there are efforts to economically empower women and to remove
all forms of discrimination against them and the girl-child, women and the
girl-child still face multiple problems.
These include the following:
 Violence against Women: Some men beat their partners as they
wish. Sometimes women are prevented from phoning or visiting
relatives and friends by their partners.
 Rape is on the increase. Studies by Women Against Rape (WAR)
show that at least five females are forced into sexual intercourse
every day.
 In rural areas, where the level of women literacy rate is low, men
or husbands deny their women or wives rights to acquire land,
immovable property and even to advance their career opportunities
in the commercial sector.
 Women’s social status is still relatively low because there are still
some cultural and traditional values which see women only as
child-bearers.
 High teenage pregnancy causes great concern. In most cases these
pregnancies are unplanned and cause children to drop out of
school. Dropping out of school acts as a barrier to educational and
career advancement of women.
 Women’s health and survival is threatened by the spread of
HIV/AIDS.
 Female enrolment in vocational and technical institution lags far
behind that of men.
 There are still gender gaps in employment opportunities that still
contribute to the disparity in income between men and women.
 There is unequal access by gender to production resources. Access
to land may not be easy for some women even today.
 Female-headed families are on the increase. Women are sole
breadwinners, so they have to engage in income generating
activities for child survival and development. As a result there is
little time to spend with children at home. Where women did not
receive enough education and training their chances for
employment are limited and may suffer from poverty.
 The number of women in the upper echelons of power is very
limited.
 Women’s involvement in business is limited to small scale
activities in the informal sector mainly due to financial constraints.
 Rape/sexual harassment
 Domestic violence
 Women highly exposed to HIV and AIDS
 High poverty rate/ Lack of funds/capital
 The burden of single parenting/female headed households
 Discrimination in the society/unequal job opportunities
 Gender biased inheritance practices
 Low literacy rate/lack of skills/unemployment
 Heavy work load in the home especially after working outside the
home
 Major decisions taken by men.
THE POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS FACED BY WOMEN
 There should be workshops to educate people on the importance of
life free gender violence. Those who sexually abuse women should
spend their lives in prisons.
 They should be Standing Sub-Committees that review laws and
assess their gender implications. Laws that discriminate against
women should be done away with.
 The Private Sector, Government and Parastatal organisations
should all make deliberate efforts to appoint women to decision
making positions.
 Policies that support women’s participation in domestic and
external trade should be developed and enforced.
 Women’s reproductive health and rights should be promoted.
Pregnant women should be taken care of. Government should
collaborate with NGOs to promote safe delivery by setting up good
ante and post-natal care services free of charge.
 Education and skills development should be intensified. The
education system should be designed to create gender awareness
from primary level.
 Research activities that will sensitise women on women on issues
that affect their status in society must be promoted.
 Formulate policies that protect women workers employed in rural
and urban informal sectors. Then there should be monitoring
procedures to ensure that such policies are followed.
 THE ROLE OF WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS It focuses on teaching women about the laws that protect
Women’s organisations are Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) themselves/how to defend themselves/ensure that
which were established by women to help liberate them. perpetrators/rapists are charged.

LOBBYIST ORGANISATIONS
EMANG BASADI
EmangBasadi is an organisation which was formed in 1986 and has its
headquarters in Gaborone.
It is a lobbyist organisation because it is advocating for the rights of
women in Botswana.
Lobbyist simply means to try to persuade the government or someone with
political power that a law or a situation should be changed or amended.
This organisation is, therefore, persuading the government of Botswana to
change its laws or constitution to suit or favour both sexes especially
women.
THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF EMANG BASADI
Some of the major achievements of EmangBasadi include the following:
 Identifying women’s most urgent problems, increasing public
awareness of women’s issues and removing all barriers that hinder
- Welfarist Women’s Organisations- YWCA, BCW, WASBO, the advancement of women.
Kagisano Women’s Shelter That is, it identifies and removing laws that discriminate against
YWCA: provision of day care centres to allow women to go to women.
work/ school/  In 1994 EmangBasadi launched a Polite Education Project. This
Kagisano Women’s Shelter- Provides counselling and shelter for was contained in the women manifesto. Among other things the
abused women women’s manifesto aims at;
BCW: training of women on practical skills/gives information to i. Increasing the number of women in parliament and local
women/conducts beauty contents/runs day care centres government to 25%.
WASBO promotes participation of women in sports ii. Reinsuring that political party platforms include women’s
- Lobbyist Women’s Organisation-EmangBasadi commitments, issues and concerns.
It focuses on influencing the government to remove or change iii. Educating women on the connection between voting and
policies or laws that are oppressive to women/ Advocates for improving their living conditions.
women’s rights iv. Promoting awareness of women’s political stand under
- Legal Women’s Organisation- Women Against Rape representation in politics as well as informing them on the
neglect of their needs.
 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMANG BASADI
This organisation has proved its worth and effectiveness in a number of
ways, some of which are discussed below;
 EmangBasadi has managed to hold Voter Education Seminars to
bring the issues outlined in the Manifesto to community level.
 Before the 1994 elections, workshops were held to assist women
candidates from all political parties. Women candidates were
trained on handling campaigns especially on public speaking,
fundraising and identifying key national and local issues.
 Women’s issues have been included in the political manifesto of
Botswana’s political parties.
 Representation of women in parliament has gone up.
 We now have women cabinet ministers.
 The number of women councillors has increased.
 The number of women chiefs at House of Chiefs has increased.
 Women are increasingly assuming leadership positions in
government and private sector.
LEGAL ORGANISATION
METLHAETSILE WOMEN’S INFORMATION CENTRE
The Metlhaetsile Women’s Information Centre was founded in 1991 by
small group of Mochudi women.
THE OBJECTIVES OF METLHAETSILE WOMEN’S
INFORMATION CENTRE
 To provide women with education and training about their rights
and status under Botswana law.
 To provide legal assistance to less privileged women.
 To provide education and training to women about family
planning, HIV/AIDS prevention, sexual abuse and violence issues.
 To help women deal with the aftermath of rape, sexual abuse and
other forms of violence.
 To develop a constituency of women at village level who will
work with the centre to lobby for the necessary legal reforms to
improve the status of women in Botswana.
 To link up with other women’s group, both nationally and
internationally, that are committed to improving the status of
women for the purposes of sharing experiences and strategies, and
providing support and information.
 To promote a greater understanding of human rights, culture of
human rights, which features women’s rights prominently?
THE EFFECTIVENESS OR ACHIEVEMENTS OF
METLHAETSILE WOMEN’S INFORMATION CENTRE
- Metlhaetsile had outstanding achievements in the past.
- It made a breakthrough in issues of failed marriages that had
ultimately led to divorce as well as helping those women who were
denied custody of their children during divorce hearings as
children were traditionally seen as belonging to the man and his
family.
- Women who had cases and could not afford attorneys were
provided with the assistance they needed-hence justice was done as
both parties were presented whenever there was a need.
- Today, Metlhaetsile is faced with a mammoth task of providing
legal representation to women who are in need of legal aid-yet
cannot afford to pay legal fees.
- This can be in matters relating to divorce or child maintenance as
mentioned earlier on.
 WELFARIST ORGANISATION
BOTSWANA COUNCIL OF WOMEN (BCW)
The Botswana Council of Women is a national non-governmental
organisation that was formed in 1965.
THE OBJECTIVES OF BCW
The objectives of BCW include to:
 Provide affordable nursery school services to enable parents to
freely go to work or be self employed.
 Provide women and youth with development skills, training for
income generating activities and self-sufficiency for the alleviation
of poverty.
 Encourage responsible citizenship, power sharing and equal
economic opportunities.
 Provide education on HIV/AIDS in order to empower women with
the ability to negotiate with their partners for safer sex.
 Encourage women to participate in self-help-projects.
 Facilitate the establishment of skills development centres in the
villages.
 Advocate and lobby for the eradication of all forms of
discrimination against women and the girl child.
THE EFFECTIVENESS OR ACHIEVEMENT OF BCW
BCW has a number of outstanding achievements, among them are the
following:
 The Botswana Council of Women has established over 33 nursery
schools all over Botswana. These schools provide Day Care and
food for children while their mothers are at work.
 It successfully established a Goat Rearing Project in Ditlharapeng.
This generates some income for women especially those in rural
areas.
 They offer six months courses on Dressmaking and fashion design.
At least 20 people trained every year in their headquarters in
Gaborone.
 At least 20 people are trained on linen making (curtains,
comforters, and cushion making) in one-month courses.
 BCW has trained people on hair dressing, for example, the correct
use of chemicals, plaiting and styling over the years.
 They have been the organisers of Miss Botswana contests over the
years.
BOTSWANA FAMILY WELFARE ASSOCIATION (BOFWA)
BOFWA is a welfarist organisation affiliated with the International Planned
Parenthood Federation (IPPF), the second largest non-governmental
organisation in the world which provides support to family planning
associations worldwide.
THE ROLES OF BOFWA
- BOFWA creates awareness and provides education in family
planning for a better understanding of population importance.
- Initially BOFWA’s focus was to help the youth.
- This approach appears necessary based on current statistics of
teenage pregnancies in our country.
- Intensive family life education can only help uplift our teenage
mothers to be productive, healthy adults.
- Its role, however now endeavours to educate not only women but
both sexes about the use of contraceptives especially in these days
of HIV/AIDS where having a child can lead to high risks of being
infected by the disease.
- BOFWA believes that knowledge about Family Planning and
access to such services are fundamental human rights.
- It believes that the balance between the population of the world, its
natural resources and productivity is necessary condition of human
happiness, prosperity and peace.
 THE ROLE OF WOMEN’S ORGANISATIONS IN THE It also empowers men to be fully involved in the fight against
PREVENTION OF HIV/AIDS AND OTHER COMMUNICABLE HIV/AIDS.
DISEASES The target groups are children, youth and women.

Botswana is being crippled by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. If the war against 5. Coping Centre for People with Aids (COCEPWA) has been
HIV/AIDS is to be won, women should be involved all the way. founded by a Motswana woman who has been living positively
with HIV/AIDS for a number of years.
Gone are the days when women were viewed as just ‘transmitters’ of the It has been established mainly to support all those infected and
HIV/AIDS message. affected by AIDS and to offer one another the much needed
The entire nation must come together to fight against HIV/AIDS. support.
Women, through a number of organisations, try to teach people about this The membership is open to all, irrespective of gender.
scourge. They also support those infected, stigmatised and abused. Members of COCEPWA hold workshops and seminars to talk
openly about living positively with HIV/AIDS, and best to avoid
1. The Botswana Council of Women trains women trainers through the infection if not part of the statistics already.
workshops to become peer educators on HIV/AIDS awareness and
prevention.
2. The Young Vulnerable Women seeks to mitigate the spread of
HIV/AIDS and prevent teenage pregnancies.
It engages in basic training on skill development and on the
publication of Youth Magazines that contains information on
HIV/AIDS.
3. The Kagisano Society Women’s Shelter Project is voluntary
non-profit making organisation that believes in the equality of
mankind. It strives for a violent free society.
It aims to assist women and children who are survivors of
domestic violence by providing temporary accommodation.
It pioneers community responses to gender crisis, sexual violence
and HIV/AIDS.
4. The Botshabelo Rehabilitation Centre embarks on community
mobilization education and information on HIV/AIDS and sexual
violence.
It helps victims or survivors of sexual violence with user friendly
clinical intervention to reduce trauma.