If a man is a head of the household what is a woman? The impact of rural women's engagement in the textile industries of Lesotho on gendered relations in their households: a case study in Mafeteng, Lesotho

Abstract

ABSTRACT__________________________________________________________ This study examines the gender aspects of household dynamics in rural households in Mafeteng, Lesotho. It was inspired by the impact of changes resulting from the major retrenchment of Basotho men from South African mines which has coincides with the employment of a large number of women in relatively newly established textile industry. Snowball sampling was used to elicit data from ten women employed in the textile industries. Moreover, in order to establish the significance of employment on gendered household dynamics, purposive sampling was used to elicit data from ten unemployed women. This study reveals how decision-making is done in rural households of employed women. Among things that influence decision-making is economic status. Furthermore, it exposes the gender aspects of household labour within the employed women’s households. It also reveals the influence that women’s employment has on marital conflict between spouses.