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Negotiating In(security): Agency and Adaptation Among Zimbabwean Migrant Women Working in the Informal Sector in South Africa

Year: 2023

Type: article

Abstract: The deepening levels of poverty in Zimbabwe have resulted in high numbers of Zimbabwean women migrating to South Africa in the hopes of securing better wages and job security. Most of these migrants end up working in the informal sector with limited income, high levels of insecurity, and a lack of protection against gender-based violence and xenophobia. Regardless of the adversities that these women encounter, they often display resilience and adaptability. Based on semi-structured interviews with 22 Zimbabwean migrant women, this article documents how these migrant women navigated some of the vulnerabilities and challenges they encountered. Instead of always being constrained by different structures of violence, this article unpacks the women’s strategies to ensure their survival.

Source: The Oriental Anthropologist A Bi-annual International Journal of the Science of Man

DOI: 10.1177/0972558x221147832

Authors: Victoria M. Mutambara, Maheshvari Naidu

Institution: University of KwaZulu-Natal

Language: English

Topic: Migration and Labor Dynamics

Subfield: Sociology and Political Science

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Decent work and economic growth, Reduced inequalities, No poverty, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000