Street vending as a panacea to women empowerment in Gweru urban district

Abstract

The study focused on examining the contribution of Street Vending to the empowerment of women in Gweru Urban District. The rise of street vending is closely linked to the rise of informal economy in contemporary Zimbabwe. The death of the formal industry marked the beginning of Street vending business in Zimbabwe and Gweru in Particular .The collapse of the formal industry is attributed to a number of economic and political factors which include adoption unpopular Economic Structural Adjustments Programs (ESAP), the Fast trek Land Programme, Economic Sanctions and the adoption of Black empowerment policies among others. Consequently urban life became increasingly unbearable for poor blacks. Informal economic activities blossomed and started to make a significant contribution to household income and livelihoods. The majority of Zimbabweans especially women resorted to Street vending business. The research used qualitative methods to gather data. Theoretically, the thesis is underpinned by Marxist feminist theory. The findings indicated that street vending is the route to the empowerment of women. Using Sara Longwe women empowerment framework as the base of the findings, women access to income, their welfare, participation in decision making has greatly improved. Female vendors face challenges in the streets of Gweru like municipal raids, competition, poor water and sanitation, lack of capital and losses. In response to these challenges the research developed new inclusive strategies to improve the empowerment status of female vendors.