Programme des subventions ROCARE pour la recherche en éducation /
ERNWACA Research Grants Programme
Edition 2009/ 2009 edition
EDUCATION AND WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT: A STUDY
OF THEIR STATUS AND INPUT IN THE INFORMAL
SECTOR IN SIERRA LEONE
Chercheurs/researchers
•
•
•
•
Pessima, Agnes (Ms)
Massallay, Joe L (Rev)
Koroma, Peter O.
Simbo, Dominic J.
Parrain/Mentor : Prof. Joe A. D. Alie
Pays /Country
SIERRA LEONE
Recherche financée par le
Réseau Ouest et Centre Africain de Recherche en Education (ROCARE)
avec du soutien du projet Centre d’Excellence Régionale UEMOA
et du Ministère des Affaires Etrangères des Pays Bas
---------------------------------------------------------Research financed by
Education Research Network for West and Central Africa (ERNWACA)
With project support from UEMOA regional Centre of Excellence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
ROCARE / ERNWACA • Tel: (223) 20 21 16 12, Fax: (223) 20 21 21 15 • BP E 1854, Bamako, MALI
Bénin • Burkina Faso • Cameroun• Congo • Côte d’Ivoire • Gambia • Ghana • Guinée •
Mali • Mauritanie • Nigeria • Niger • Sénégal • Sierra Leone • République Centrafricaine • Togo
www.rocare.org/ www.ernwaca.org
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Acknowledgements:………………………………………………………………………….ii
Executive Summary ……………………………………………………………………….iii
Chapter One: Introduction and Background to
Study………………………………………...1
Chapter Two Literature Review …………………………………………………….………..5
Chapter Three Research method and
Design………………………………….……………..12
Chapter Four: Presentation of
Findings……………………………………………..………..16
Chapter Five Discussions, Recommendations and
Conclusions……………………………..22
Bibliography……………………………………...……………………………………….….28
Appendix I Survey Questionnaire……………………………………………………............31
Appendix II Focus Group Discussion Guide………………………………………………...35
Appendix III Letter to Statistics Sierra Leone……………………………………………….36
2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We the MASK group, are grateful to God Almighty for unity, cooperation and patience
exercised among us throughout this study. Every activity was undertaken with
enthusiasm.
We would like to thank our mentor Prof. Dr. J.A.D. Alie, Head of History and African
Studies, Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone for the excellent supervision
and guidance he provided to the group throughout the research period.
Also we thank our data collectors from Makeni in the Northern Region and Freetown in
the Western Area for their willingness to collect the data.
Finally, we thank our typist Mrs. Mojibola Perry of the Partners in Adult Education
Coordinating Office (PADECO) for computerizing the final report.
3
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Women’s presence in the informal sector is so conspicuous that questions are raised
concerning their over representation in the sector.
The MASK research group undertook to investigate why there are more women than
men in this sector in Sierra Leone, what their status and input into the sector are and to
ascertain whether their level of educational attainment has any influence on their
employment in the sector.
To undertake the investigation, two research instruments utilized were the questionnaire
and focus group discussion guide. Two regions in the country renowned for informal
sector activities were identified for the study; these were Makeni in the Northern Province
and Freetown, the capital city of Sierra Leone, in the Western Area. Twenty research
assistants were trained to carry out the data collection. Since the majority of respondents
were illiterate, the research assistants had to fill in the questionnaires for them. Focus
group discussions were also conducted.
The study was undertaken in order to have an insight into the educational and other
needs of these women since their conditions seemed to remain relatively unchanged in
spite of their income generating endeavours. Findings of this research would inform
appropriate interventions in terms of raising the status of the women and improving on
their businesses.
The outcome of the investigations showed that the informal sector is a generous
employer of women emphasizing neither educational attainment nor skill. Because of the
ease of entry women enter with very minimal capital and cling on to low cost items
making very meager gains. They live from ‘hand to mouth’; that is, they survive on their
daily gains.
The research concluded that the level of women’s education influences their participation
in the informal sector, that many of these women lack special skills and that they are
operating on very limited capital. They also suffer discrimination from law enforcing
personnel and financing institutions. Several recommendations were put forward
regarding the improvement of the women’s educational status, provision of the initial
capital, provision of training facilities and market sites for them.
4
These recommendations were as follows:
1.
That the formal lending institutions devise .special loan schemes for informal
sector workers. Alternatively, that special institutions be established to
provide capital to workers in this sector on terms to meet their special
conditions.
2.
That lending institutions provide counseling services and crash training to
recipients in the informal sector.
3.
That governments demarcate market sites for informal sector workers in
specific political divisions within urban towns to avoid being harassed by
Metropolitan and regular police, and also provide water and toilet facilities for
them.
4.
That lending institutions encourage workers in this sector to save their profits
with them, how ever minimal this may be.
5.
That crèche facilities be provided within market locations for mothers in the
sector.
6.
That adult literacy and skills training structures be put in place to equip new
entrants into the sector with profitable skills and basic knowledge in
numeracy, to assist them with basic book-keeping skills.
7.
That much sensitization is mounted to create awareness among workers in
the sector to learn skills or improve on the basic skills they already possess.
8.
That women workers in this sector be encouraged to diversify their trades and
sell hardwares as their male counterparts.
9.
5
Informal sector workers to register their businesses.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Sierra Leone, with an area of 27,699 squire miles (Hawes, 1976), is situated on the West
Coast of Africa. The population as per 2004 census report, is about five million (Statistics
Sierra Leone, 2004). From the early 1990s to date, the country has been ranked as one
of the poorest in the world by the UNDP Human Development Report. The Gross
National Product (GNP) per capita in 2006 was US $561. This situation has not changed
positively ever since.
Economy and Health
The country is endowed with several mineral resources including diamonds, gold and
recently oil. The country is also favoured with vast fertile and arable land and favourable
weather for agriculture. However, all this wealth has not been translated into actual
economic growth and development in order to provide adequate goods and services for
her citizenry. The state of technological development is abysmal. Therefore, industrial
output is centred around beverages such as beer and soft drinks. It is estimated that
more than 50 percent of the population is under-nourished. It is therefore not surprising
that life expectancy at birth is 41.0. Infant and under-five mortality are high, standing at
165 and 283 respectively per 1,000 live births. Maternal mortality too is one of the
highest in the world, with 1,800 per 100,000 live births. It was reported that in 2004, 88
percent of the total population were living below the poverty line (Statistics Sierra Leone,
2004).
Education
Sierra Leone has a literacy rate of 35.1 per cent, and it is estimated that the combined
figure for enrolments in primary, secondary and tertiary institutions is 65 per cent (UNDP,
2006).
The population of Sierra Leone is made up of 51.3 per cent women (Statistics Sierra
Leone, 2004). Despite their numerical strength, they have not been able to compete on
an equal level with their male counterparts over the use of the resources of the land and
social amenities provided, especially in education and health.
The majority of Sierra Leone women is illiterate, poor and is denied certain basic rights;
for example, the right to education. In Sierra Leone, girls start off at a disadvantaged
6
position to their male counterparts in education. Parents have to decide whether their
girls should go to school after weighing several factors including the economic cost of
sending them to school, namely their contribution to family income.
Government and NGO efforts in sensitizing parents to send their girl children to school
combined with the introduction, by government, of free primary education increased
primary enrolment. As further incentives, girls in the Northern and Eastern provinces are
given free books and uniforms to continue with basic education in the junior secondary
school levels I to III. This goodwill gesture of government has helped increase girls
enrolment in secondary schools especially in the two regions concerned. The facility was
later extended to the Southern Province and the Western Area in 2007 (Ministry of
Education, Youth and Sports, 2008). This is an effort by government to achieve the
Millennium Development Goal number three, “Promoting gender equality and empower
women”. Government and NGOs are also providing non-formal education for children in
hard-to-reach areas and these efforts are particularly targeting girls.
Despite the increase in children’s enrolment in schools, girls are still lagging behind their
male counterpart as was revealed by school statistic for two academic years (2005/2006
and 2006/2007). That is, in the 2005/2006 academic year enrolment in primary schools
in all the four regions of the country was 46.2 percent girls and 53.8 percent boys. In the
same year enrolment at Junior Secondary School (JSS) level was 62 percent boys and
38 percent girls. At Senior Secondary School (SSS) level boys were 64.2 percent while
girls were 35.8 percent. In the following academic year (2006/2007), the enrolments at
primary level were, boys 52.5 percent and girls 47.5 percent. At JSS level, boys were 59
percent and girls 41 percent, while at SSS level boys were 64 percent and girls 36
percent (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports 2008). These figures show the
continual lagging behind of girls in education. Their number decreases as they go up the
education hierarchies.
Economic Activities
The population between the ages of 16 and 64 years is 2,621,773, that is 85.62 percent
of the entire population. Out of this number 1,785,662 are in the labour force with 96.45
percent in employment and 3.55 percent out of employment. (Population and Housing
Census, 2006). Women not only lag behind in education but lack many essential skills.
Consequently, illiteracy combined with lack of skills put women at 36.7 percent of the
labour force while men make up 63.3 percent. Some of the occupations available in the
economic sphere are crop farming, males 60.42 percent, females 39.58 percent
7
manufacturing males 77 percent, females 23 percent. However women predominate in
the informal retail sector which requires neither skill nor literacy for entry.
1.3 Statement of Problem
In spite of the low economic status of the country, the government is making efforts to
provide education for its citizens through free primary education and to some extent free
Junior Secondary School education for girls in the Northern, Eastern and Western
regions of the country. Government’s effort is complemented by both local and
international NGOs. For example, the partnership between UNICEF and the People’s
Educational Association in Sierra Leone (PEA-SL), and the partnership between the
People’s Educational Association and the Banya Tree Foundation in the United States of
America. Both partnerships provide non-formal primal education (NFPE) in remote areas
in the country and encourage girls’ participation. Many of these NFPE centres have been
transformed into fully fledged primary schools and are conducted in permanent
structures built within the communities concerned.
This study therefore seeks to investigate why there are more women employed in the
informal sector than men, why factors that militate against their opportunities for
education and employment have remained a hunge. Moreover, there is the perception
that there is a relationship between women’s educational level and the type of
employment they find themselves in, and which this study seeks to prove. The study
further seeks to know whether these women were ever discriminated against in the
course of their employment and to assess their input in the sector.
Objectives of the Study
The general objective of the study was to ascertain the status and input of women in the
informal sector and to determine the relationship between their education and
employment in this sector,
Specific Objectives
The specific objectives were to:
1. Determine the educational levels of the women and their contributions towards
the informal sector, if any;
2. Ascertain types of skills they possess;
3. Investigate their reasons for working in the informal sector;
4. Determine the scope of discrimination, if any, during the course of their
employment in the informal sector;
5. Determine the relationship between women education and the type of
employment they engage in.
Significance of the Study
This study took into consideration factors that are likely to push women into the informal
sector. It sought to reveal how their capacities could be enhanced to improve on their
economic performance and general status. Many organizations working with this
8
category of women, especially those that make capital available for women’s kind of
businesses, do not organize training for them in areas that would enhance their
performance in business, such as training in social skills and business techniques.
Instead, they bring ready-made packages into the lives of the women. The results of this
study would be used to develop relevant modules to be used in the literacy classes being
set up in all the market areas of Sierra Leone, by the Sierra Leone Association of Market
Women. It will help these women to fill various knowledge gaps in their personal lives
and improve on their social skills. Moreover, it will contribute towards creating guidelines
for develpmemnt agencies seeking to improve women’s economic status and help them
focus on real life issues. For this purpose, the qualitative method of data collection was
utilized though some quantitative aspect was added..
Scope of the study
The study concentrated on areas with a high degree of informal sector activities in the
country, namely, the Western Area and the Northern Province. No specific category of
informal sector activities is targeted. Activities reported in the study depended on what
respondents were engaged in.
Limitation of study
Much research work has been carried out on the informal sector and various aspects
have been targeted. This research focuses on one gender in the sector, that is, women.
Four elements that influence their performance in the sector were investigated. These
are employment, education status and input. Much use was made of early literature to
determine how far the informal sector has been transformed since it came into academic
literature in the1970s. The informal sector, referring to all employment outside the formal
sector has informed our study, though not every category has been captured.
9
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents a review of literature on the informal sector. It looks briefly at the
origins of the sector before going on to examine types of employment categorized under
the sector. The chapter further examines educational and training opportunities available
within the sector, before finding out skills that are prevalent and how they are acquired.
Origins
The existence of the informal sector gained recognition in the 1970s and this is usually
associated with the work of Hart (1973), who drew attention to activities usually ignored
by economic planners in many developing countries. Yet the informal sector existed long
before this time. The activities fell outside the scope of formal sector enterprise. A little
over three and a half decades, Todaro. (2005), observed that those working in this sector
create their own employment either individually or in small-scale family businesses. This
implies that they are self-employed and are not directly a liability on government in terms
of salaries or other conditions of service.
Informal Activities
The sector embraces a variety of economic activities and has been referred to by
different names: the unregulated or unstructured sector, the hidden or shadow economy,
the micro economy. Khalek (2005) identifies three categories of workers within this
sector; those who are struggling to survive, the self employed and micro enterprise. The
survivors; he states are very poor, they work in this sector to generate income for
survival. The self-employed produce goods for sale, purchase goods for re-sale or offer
services for money. Micro-enterprises are very small businesses and usually operate
from a fixed location with regular hours.
Khalek further distinguishes two categories of informal sector activities, the legal and
illegal businesses. The illegal businesses he divides into (1) those that evade taxes and
labour regulations, and (2) those whose activities consist of underground businesses
which are related to crime and corruption.. The legal activities are just the opposite of the
latter. Hart noted these divisions at an earlier stage and categorized them into legitimate
and illegitimate activities. King’s 1980 categorization however differs from Khalek’s. He
identifies two tiers within this sector. The first tier is the ‘entrepreneurship selfemployment’ which he states comprises of profitable small enterprises. The second tier
he describes as ‘subsistence self-employment’ who form the larger population of the two
10
tiers. He points out that this second tier consists of the casual poor and other
disadvantaged groups, that is, those struggling to survive. This second tier justifies
khalek’s description of the origin of the informal sector as coming into being through the
coping strategy of individuals and families where earning opportunities are scarce. They
also correspond to his first category of workers who are struggling to survive. Most
writers are cognizant of the fact that the informal sector could be either legal or illegal
(Hart, 1973; Khalek, 2005). They are also in agreement on four facts about the informal
sector, viz, the inability of the modern sector to provide jobs for all the working population
gave rise to the informal sector; the desire to generate income for survival; the legal and
illegal aspects of the sector; and the ease of entry.
Presenting an ILO commissioned research report on the employment potential of the
informal sector in selected African countries, Kumasi city in Ghana; Freetown in Sierra
Leone; Lagos, Kano and Onisha in Nigeria; Dakar in Senegal, Sethuraman (1977),
observed that most African countries were experiencing high population growth and this
rapid growth was manifesting in rapid urbanization leading to high unemployment. High
population growth paralyzed the government’s ability to provide job opportunities for the
entire working age population. The findings of the ILO commissioned research shed light
on certain commonalities in the informal sector in these cities, viz, their location in slum
areas, lack of permanent structures, electricity and water; distance from the market
where their products and services are sold. Though these commonalities are true to
Freetown in Sierra Leone, informal sector activities are not restricted to these areas in
Freetown. Workers from this sector could be found all over the city in various locations
including commercial areas, residential areas and even administrative areas. This
indiscriminate dispersal puts the workers at an advantage to access electricity and pipe
borne water. Many within these areas provide their own electricity through small and
inexpensive generators or car batteries. What is common to informal sector workers in
Sierra Leone, whether in the city of Freetown or in other urban areas in the provinces, is
lack of toilet facilities
Typically, informal sector entrepreneurs would crowd up in strategic sites within the
urban towns, causing health problems through indiscriminate waste disposal and other
unhygienic practices in addition to overcrowding. Consequently, the ILO report stated
that authorities have had cause to evacuate them out of these sites. In Freetown,
informal sector workers have continually been evacuated from strategic positions within
the city. After sometime new sets will emerge in the very location where one set was
evacuated. It has become a cycle of evacuation and re-occupation.
Recently (2009), the Mayor of Freetown put a team together assisted by the police, to
demolish all make-shift structures from major roads in the city. The same informal sector
11
workers now use big umbrellas in place of the demolished structures. In Makeni, the
situation is different. The concentration of informal sector workers is around the
commercial areas, that is, market areas, lorry parks etc. However, most production
activities are home-based.
In spite of their disadvantaged position, the sector continues to expand with new entrants
from the rural areas and the formal employment sector who are laid off due to the global
economic crisis. Todaro (2005) puts the workforce employed by the informal sector to
between 30-70- per cent. However, Khalek’s estimate for Africa states that the informal
sector economy provides 80 per cent of jobs and 90 percent of new jobs. Reasons given
for the growth of this sector include insufficient job creation; barriers to entry into the
formal sector; the incapability of formal institutions to provide appropriate education,
training and infrastructure; the exclusion of women from property and land ownership;
and expectations of eventually finding employment in the formal sector (Khalek, 2005).
As far back as the 1980s, King (1989) pointed out that many informal sector workers are
simply continuing with their parents’ or grandparents’ occupations, e.g. fishing, weaving,
trading etc. Entry into traditional occupations is not always open to those outside the
family, clan or cast.
While Khalek believes that informal sector is a major supplier of relatively cheap
products which the poor can afford, this has not always been the case. King (1989), had
earlier pointed to those selling traditional items that attract tourists. These cannot be
characterized as selling cheap goods to poor people. This aspect of informal activity is
export oriented. Insight into the socio-economic and cultural reality in which the informal
sector is located is also essential.
Women make up the majority of informal sector workers because they are not restricted
by the red-tape of formal sector entry requirements. The ease of entry into the sector and
the ability to combine income-earning with their domestic responsibilities is attractive to
them. For example, in Sierra Leone, many women traders with younger children start
preparation of their meal in their marketplaces. They will prepare the fish and cut the
vegetables while they await their usual off-hour. On return home they simply commence
with cooking and in a shorter time they are through with cooking, washing the children
and are about doing other things in the home.
Popularly mentioned characteristics of women’s informal sector activities emphasize low
productivity, low income, and the insecurity of these activities. These are evident in the
type of commodities they sell and the production activities they engage in (Janjua and
12
Naveed, 2009; Mahdi, 2009). With the blossoming of the informal sector after the 10year unrest in Sierra Leone, there is need to reaffirm this assumption.
Education and Training
The informal sector is a coping sphere where workers are striving in many ways to
survive. Consequently, there are no rules to guide new entrants, neither is educational
acquisition emphasized. This explains why there are large numbers of illiterate workers
in the sector, why women dominate, especially in developing countries.
From the ILO commissioned research, Sethuraman (1977), found that the reasons for
entering the sector in large numbers seemed to be related to their level of ‘education,
age, skill and training (p.345)’. The report revealed that in Freetown two-thirds of the
workers never went to school, 12 per cent were primary school drop-outs, and 6 per cent
of them completed primary school, though they never went beyond that level. It was also
observed in the cities investigated that a high proportion of these entrepreneurs were
young, as seen in 72 per cent in Kumasi and two-thirds of such workers in Freetown
been under 39 years.
As far as education and training are concerned, King (1989), noted that informal sector
workers do not put pressure on the educational and training systems for more provision.
On the contrary they need to be persuaded to participate in education and training. In
training, informal sector workers have their own ideas of what they want to learn, the role
of the facilitator or tutor is to help them realize their needs (King, 1989). This confirms the
view that adult learners are already motivated when they come to learning.
Women’s participation in education and training is generally low. Studies of the informal
sector have shown that generally a girl would learn the trade of her mother (Goodale,
1989). Some women and girls learn their trade in apprenticeship; however, non- formal
training centres now cater for women and girls activities in the informal sector. This is
evident in the type of skills training available in the mushroom non-formal training centres
all over the country. In addition, formal training institutions are now offering few training
courses for women and girls but these have entry requirements. Shortcomings have
been identified in training offered for women in formal training institutions, these include
neglect of training in business skills (Carr, 1984). Other shortcomings include inadequate
capacities of staff offering training; failure to conduct feasibility studies to identify market
opportunities; and the women’s lack of awareness of options to female occupations (Self
and Girling, 1983; Pessima, 1995).
13
Goodale makes reference to an ILO study conducted in Latin America in 1977, of
predominant occupations in urban informal sector. Findings were compared with a range
of training offered by national training institutions in three countries – Colombia,
Venezuala and Chile – to ascertain what occupations were covered by these institutions.
It was observed that there were no signs of an attempt to cater for the needs of the
informal sector (Goodale, 1989). Currently in Sierra Leone, three options for training are
available for informal sector workers, these are, formal institutions, ‘back street’ training
centres and apprenticeship. The first two are fee-paying and the last one accepts labour
in place of money. Due to the inelasticity of the modern sector many trainees end up in
private enterprise employment or become self employed.
Sierra Leone is a party to many international initiatives for human development.
Education for All (EFA) is one such initiative. Five years after the Jomtein Conference in
1990, Sierra Leone developed a New Education Policy (1995), and later an Education
Master Plan. The Education Master Plan mapped out strategies to achieve EFA.
Strategies following the mapping out included the following: expansion of primary
education; increase in adult literacy work; expansion of technical/vocational education
and skills training; first phase of free primary education in 1999/2000 academic year.
Later in 2001, primary education was made free for all classes. This move by
government to universalize primary education saw an increase in primary school
enrolment. The New Education Policy aimed at ensuring that by 2015 all children,
especially girls, children in difficult circumstances and from ethnic minorities have access
to free and compulsory education of good quality.
Earlier in 1992, UNICEF introduced the Non-Formal Primary Education (NFPE) for girls
in collaboration with the Sierra Leone government and the People’s Educational
Association (PEA-SL). Even though this initiative aimed at girls, boys of school-going
age in communities where the programme was implemented were admitted. However,
admission was biased in favour of girls. It was later discovered that in some communities
boys began to outnumber girls for whom the programme was initiated.
Even though the introduction of free primary education increased enrolment, retention
and completion rates remained poor especially for girl-children. Girls are traditionally
expected to be busy with running the home instead of going to school. Parents have their
reservations and apprehensions for educating girls. Consequently, the education of the
girl-child remains a problem.
14
Skills Acquisition
Providers of education have discovered that cognitive learning alone does not equip an
individual for the world of work. Young people need relevant skills in addition to general
education to access gainful employment, though skill acquisition is not a pre-requisite for
entry into the informal sector. Consequently, the majority of new entrants have no skills.
Moreover, Sethuraman (1977), points out that those activities in the informal sector do
not really call for special skills and they also need little initial capital. As a result, there
are virtually no barriers to entry by newcomers. This explains why young women who
have no special skills can fit comfortably into informal employment. In the ILO study on
the informal sector in Africa, the investigation in Freetown revealed 40 percent of
workers intimating that there was no need to learn a skill; these were from the petty
trading category. Where the activity required a skill most entrants learn on-the-job within
the sector, this was the case in Kumasi and Freetown.
The formal skills training centres including Technical and Vocational institutions generally
require certain basic formal education for entry, which makes entry for illiterate women in
the informal sector impossible. In many instances even the semi-literate does not qualify
for entry. Janjua and Naveed (2009), raised concern over the cost of formal training in
Pakistan. The fact that many informal sector workers are barely surviving put them at a
disadvantage in such situations. This implies that even where entry is not limited by
educational requirements cost will restrain many workers who really need to acquire
quality skills training to improve on their services. This situation is true of Sierra Leone
where formal training in technical and vocational skills are so expensive that many
workers and potential workers who enter institutions for training drop out after sometime.
The alternative provision is learning on-the-job in apprenticeship, where payment is in
kind. The trainer here has an advantage in this deal in that with assistance from the
learners he would have many hands on deck and produce more in a shorter time. He
can also provide services to more customers thereby making more gains. Generous
trainers do give learners a token sum to take care of their immediate needs, though this
may not be on a regular basis. Compared with the formal sector, training in the informal
sector takes a longer period of time, some learners go into learning situations especially
in apprenticeship, at a very tender age and remain there unto adolescence. Non-formal
training makes much use of appropriate technology. In Sierra Leone, much of the
appropriate technology is barely improvisations.
15
Conclusion
This chapter has presented views of some authors on the informal sector. It briefly
throws light on how the sector came about and categories the types of employment
available within the sector. The significance of the sector as a coping strategy is seen in
its flexibility in accommodating all categories of workers. Education is not a prerequisite
for either entry or remaining in the sector. However, if the new entrant has no skill this
can be acquired on-the-job.
16
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHOD AND RESEARCH DESIG
The survey method was used to collect qualitative data from respondents in the cities of
Freetown in the Western Area and Makeni in the Northern Province. Questionnaires and
focus group discussion guides were developed. The main emphases were on the
respondents’ educational level, types of income generating activities they were engaged
in, and the financial returns of their endeavours. Some extraneous variables like their
status, input and discrimination they experienced in their occupations were also
investigated.
To utilize the survey method, questions were drawn focusing on the above mentioned
areas in the form of questionnaires. Since majority of women engaged in informal
employment are illiterate and only a small percentage are either semi-literate or literate,
the questionnaires were administered by trained data collectors. Focus group
discussions were also conducted to create space for respondents to freely express
themselves to obtain information that the questionnaires could not bring out.
Variables
Several variables were used to assess the relationship between women’s educational
attainment and the type of employment they engage in. Education was used as
independent variable and employment as the dependent variable. Extraneous variables
were used to examine the employment conditions were status, input, discrimination and
income.
Population
The research target was all women in informal sector employment in the country. Since
women form 51.3 percent of the population of Sierra Leone and only a small percentage
of them are in formal sector employment, the majority are in informal employment. To
narrow down the figure the research focused on two regions in the country, and these
were, the capital city Freetown in the Western Area, and Makeni city in the Northern
Province. These were identified for their high renown for informal sector activities.
17
Sample
After identifying the study areas in the Northern Province, Makeni, and the Western
Area, Freetown, the simple random sampling technique was agreed on to give every
woman
working in the sector in either region a chance to be interviewed. No specific trade was
targeted and so this broadened the chances of every woman working in the informal
sector in both cities to be contacted. A total of 200 women formed the sample; one
hundred from each region. Contrary to the indication in the proposal that the women will
not be met at the market sites, this was exactly what happened, on the advice of their
National Executive. In addition, a few hawkers were interviewed.
Research Instruments
The research population is largely made up of illiterate women though some are semiliterate and a few are literate. To provide every respondent a space to freely express
herself two research instruments were used namely, the questionnaire and focus group
discussion guide.
Questionnaire
The questionnaire was used because it could be utilized in eliciting information
systematically from a large sample size. However, because of high illiteracy among the
women, these were administered by trained interviewers. In developing the
questionnaire care was taken to focus on the research problem, that is, their level of
education, type of employment, the skills they possess and the status of their business. It
was believed that answers to questions on the aforementioned areas will satisfy the
research objectives because the research objectives remained in focus. The
questionnaire had five sections, with an average of six questions per section. Open
ended questions were developed to bring out respondents’ own answers and views. The
questions were also designed to bring out respondents’ level of understanding of the
work they are engaged in and how outside help could boost their activities.
Focus Group Discussion (FGD) Guide
This research instrument was utilized to elicit additional information from respondents.
Ten focus group discussions were scheduled, five in Makeni and five in Freetown. The
discussion guide included 10 questions to keep the discussions focused on the research
questions.
18
Method of Data Collection
Due to the large sample size, twenty data collectors were trained to assist with data
collection. Ten data collectors were from Makeni and the other ten were from Freetown.
The questionnaires and focus group discussion guides developed were used.
The respondents were contacted with the assistance of the National Executive of the
Sierra Leone Market Women’s Association. The Executive gave the researchers names
of chairladies in the various markets in both cities. After the National Executive had
informed these chairladies about the purpose of the research the data collectors met
them in their various locations. The chairladies gave permission for data to be collected
from the women. They also encouraged the women to co-operate with the data
collectors. In spite of this some women were skeptical; they had to be convinced that the
results will be used to develop them.
There are many markets in the city of Freetown and its peri-urban settlements. Some are
community markets and are therefore very small. Others are big markets established by
the Freetown Municipality Council to cater for the inhabitants of the various political
divisions of the city .Data was collected from the following: Wellington market in the
extreme east, Up-gun market along Kissy Road in the east, PZ market in Central
Freetown, Congo market and Kroo Town Road market in the west and Congo Town
market in the extreme west. Some hawkers were also interviewed
In Makeni, the city market is extensive and is centrally located. A few commodities are
sold outside the market, but these are foodstuff sold in homes to create easy access to
such food- stuffs in the neighbourhood.
Other markets however developed over the years in two locations, namely:
Turn-Table and Up-gun markets. Data was collected from all three markets. Here too,
hawkers were interviewed.
In both Freetown and Makeni the women were met in the market places, contrary to
previous expectation that they would be met when attending their Association’s monthly
meetings. The entire exercise lasted for a week.
Primary data utilized in this study was obtained from women involved in informal income
generating activities. Secondary data was obtained by consulting relevant literature from
19
various text books, journals, Masters students dissertations, Newspaper articles on
women in the in formal sector and from the World Wide Web.
Data Analysis
The aim of the research was to conduct a qualitative research. In the absence of
qualitative data analysis software the researchers categorized findings based on the
objectives of the study. However, some data were quantified. These were presented in
frequencies and percentages.
Conclusion
This chapter has presented the methodology used to conduct the entire research
exercise. Much emphasis was on qualitative data while quantitative data formed an
insignificant proportion of data collected.
20
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION OF FINDINGS
This chapter presents data that was collected from 200 respondents in the informal
sector of Sierra Leone. The two regions targeted were Makeni Town in the Northern
province and Freetown the capital city of Sierra Leone. The data was collected by twenty
trained data collectors. Data is presented according to the objectives of the study.
Objective 1: To determine the educational levels of the women and their
contribution towards the informal sector.
Data collected for this study revealed that many of the respondents had acquired some
form of education ranging from adult literacy 2.5 percent to Senior Secondary School
level 61.5 percent. Illiterates were 32 percent of the sample population, and an
insignificant number had tertiary education 1.0 percent. However, 5.5 percent refused to
disclose their literacy status
Respondents’ contribution to the informal sector is seen in the variety of items, goods
and services provided viz cooked food and non-cooked food items (butter, milk, sugar,
beverages, cheese, fish, vegetables, fruits, sweets, biscuits) 5.7 percent; toiletries (soap,
paste, brush) 2.0 percent; cigarettes, cigarette lighters, matches 0.9 percent cosmetics,
including hair products 6.7 percent, clothing, cotton materials and foot wares for men and
women 12.3 percent; assorted articles including used items from abroad, and baby
toiletries 15.5 percent; ice cold water 2.1 percent and plastic bowls, buckets and bags
3.1 percent; teaching and secretaryship 5 percent. Reasons given for selling the items
were “it sells faster, 23.0 percent; it is profitable 24.0 percent; for survival 12.0 percent;
comfortable with it 19.0 percent; no support for a bigger business 4.0 percent; were
influenced by friends or relatives 3.0 percent; it is non-perishasable 8.0 percent; and it is
what my customers like 1.0 percent.
Objective 2: Ascertain the type of skills they posses.
The informal sector accommodates both the skilled and unskilled. Examining the skills
respondents
possessed,
the
following
were
highlighted:
trading
49
percent;
manufacturing 27.7 percent (this included soap making, gara tye and dye, craft, waving,
gari processing making metal boxes and utensils, crocheting), other skills included
catering 7.1 percent; hairdressing 7.0; tailoring and dressmaking 5.0 percent; gardening
1.1 percent. Other respondents were bold to say they had no skills at all 2.0 percent.
21
The above stated skills were learnt from diverse sources which included: relatives and
friends 61.0 percent; institutions 20.2 percent. Others indicated names of places from
Makeni, Bo, Freetown and at home 4.7 percent. Nevertheless 19.0 percent failed to
respond to the question of where they acquired their skills.
Respondents had several reasons for wanting to learn the skills listed above. The
primary reason was to earn and income and be self-reliant 73.4 percent. Other reasons
were; it was a common skills 8.0 percent; proximity to the skills training centre 1.4: it was
the wish of my parents 1.0; to become a professional 1.0 percent; I admire friends who
know the skill 0.4 percent, I did not succeed in school 0.4 percent; I was encouraged by
my relation 1.0 percent.”.
The next questions on skills respondents possessed was asked to ascertain whether
these skills were learnt at home from family members as they grew up, or were acquired
on the job. Responses showed that it was either misunderstood or improperly structured.
The following responses were recorded in response to the question of when the skill was
acquired: “as a young girl 24.0 percent; when I married 5.1 percent”. Many did not
answer this question 20.0 percent. The rest of the responses indicated dates the skills
were learnt, 50.0 percent (1980s, 25 years ago, 2000-2002).
The next question was a follow-up on the previous one and it desired to confirm whether
skills were learnt as part of domestic chores, on the job or institutions. Therefore
respondents were asked whether they paid to acquire the skill they currently possessed.
The responses were: “it was learnt free of cost 51.0 percent; paid in kind 13.0 percent;
paid money to learn the skill 20.0 percent. Sixteen percent did not respond to this
question. Following the above question was one on usefulness of the skill to
respondents. They all agreed that it was useful because “it helps me pay my rent and
medical bill 16.0 percent; care for children’s needs and solve family problems 57.8
percent; able to buy new stock to sell 13.0 percent; able to save money at the bank 1
percent able to save through osusu 12.0 percent; and keeps me busy 0.2 percent”.
22
Objective 3: To investigate their reasons for working in the informal sector
The first question in addressing this objective was posed to ascertain whether
respondents were self-employed or working for someone, 95.0 percent of respondents
were self-employed; 3.5 percent were selling for others and 1.0 percent were offering
services. Other respondents did not indicate, 0.5 percent.
Next, respondents were asked why they decided to work in the informal sector, 42.5
percent stated that they were in the trade to get money to solve family problems. Some
said they were doing such work to earn an income 27.0 percent; to be self-reliant and
develop self 2.8 percent; it was easy to enter into 13.7 percent; it was the only option
available at the time 4.0 percent; capital too small to engage in another 2.0 percent; my
mother’s trade 3.0 percent; my husband’s trade 0.7 percent and because I am a single
parent 0.3 percent.
Objective 4: To determine the scope of discrimination, if any, during the course of
their employment in the informal sector.
The research found that these women were indeed discriminated against. Firstly, they do
not have any market space demarcated for them, ‘no market space, we sell in the sun
and in the rain’. Next they experience harassment from the Metropolitan and regular
police who keep chasing them from one location to the other and even seize their wares.
They sell in poor environmental conditions with neither toilets nor water. Also, there are
no storage facilities for them to keep their wares as it is with many of their male
counterparts, so that they do not have to take these home every day. They complained
that sometimes their wares are stolen as they change location.
Objective 5: To determine the relationship between women’s education and the
type of employment they engage in.
In addressing this objective, the researchers wanted to know the views of these women
on the value of education. All of the respondents consented to the fact that education is
very important, 100%. The highest ranking reason for saying so was that, to them
‘education helps you to get a job easily’32.0 %, this was explained as, making it possible
for you to work in the formal sector of employment. In the focus group discussions it
came out clearly that respondents were working in the informal sector because of their
educational level, otherwise they would have loved to do nursing, computer studies; be a
top class business woman, engineer, secretary, professional tailor, office clerk, teacher.
They were in the informal sector due to lack of basic education to work in other areas. If
they had the opportunity they would do something else.
23
Under any other comments the women made the following recommendations
-
Many of the women are aware of their poor status and therefore made
recommendations for improving their businesses and those of their
colleagues.
1.
Provide micro-credit for improving on their businesses and bank loans to help
them undertake bigger businesses.
2.
Provide some training in business management
3.
Provide markets for traders
4.
Provide adult literacy centres
5.
Change business strategy
6.
Curtail social activities in order to save profit.
Focus Group Discussion
The Focus Group Discussion guide had 10 questions focused on education and
employment.
Respondents in the Western Area indicated that there were all types of schools in their
communities – pre-schools, primary schools, secondary schools, vocational training
centres.
In spite of these, the highest class attained among them was second year in secondary
school. Various reasons were given why respondents either did not go to school or
dropped out of school. These included the fact that parents did not believe that girls
should go to school, farm work, Arabic lessons preferred to western type of education,
poverty, death of parent, refusal of guardian to send them to school.
Nevertheless, respondents recognized the importance of education because of
opportunities it opens to them for employment. It makes them independent in the sense
that it enables them to ‘read the Bible, pray, send text messages, go places without
asking much questions, can do bank transactions without assistance, monitor the
progress of the school performance of children, children’s assignment and school reports
etc’.
To respondents, some of the benefits of education were ‘self confidence it gives, be able
to speak among educated people; self-determination’. In addition, if they had the
opportunity to go to school or go higher in their education they would have loved to do
nursing, computer studies, be top class business women, engineer, secretary,
professional tailor.
24
Responding to why they decided to work in the informal sector they stated that this was
due to lack of basic education to work in other areas, “Business makes people rich
easily, preference of husband so that he can be doing other things, to sustain self”.
However, if they had the opportunity they would do something else.
The Makeni respondents in the Northern Region indicated that they had primary and
secondary schools in their communities. These have various educational backgrounds:
illiterates, semi-literates and literates. Two of them had Teachers Certificate. Some had
dropped out at primary level. “I was sick and my eyes got infected so I could not continue
going to school.”
Other reasons given for not going to school included pregnancy, parents’ refusal to pay
fees, parents’ refusal to send her to school. Three stated that it was due to poverty.
Nevertheless, they all agreed that education is important and gave some benefits of
education as”: creates employment opportunities; develops the human personality;
enables one to take care of family; good for women as it enlightens them; it makes one
command respect in the community; it is helpful in doing business; it makes you earn
more money; helps to develop your children; enables one to hold important positions in
society; develops your thinking faculties”.
If respondents went to school they would have loved to be doing the following “be a
teacher, a nurse, an office clerk”.
Respondents decided to work in the informal sector primarily to help their community and
secondly to learn skills. If given the opportunity they would have loved to become:
teacher, seamstress, gara tie and dye experts, soap making experts, (these must have
misunderstood the question). Asked whether they would change their jobs if they had an
opportunity they all responded in the positive.
Conclusion
The above presentation of findings show the educational status of women working in the
informal sector; skills they posses, types of employment they engage in, i.e. whether
working for self or employed by another, kind of items sold, status of the business and
recommendations by the women for improving their businesses. The focus group
discussion brought out more information on the women in the informal sector.
25
CHAPTER FIVE
Discussions, Recommendations and Conclusions
This chapter presents the main discussion of findings, recommendations and
conclusions drawn from the study.
DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS
It is generally stated that women are in the majority among the disadvantaged groups of
the world’s population.
This is usually deduced from their high level of illiteracy
compared with their male counterparts, their low income earning capacity, their restricted
skill acquisition, their economic poverty and above all their subordination within
patriarchal societies.
The idea of recognizing women’s low status in societies and improving on their condition
brought women’s issues into focus in development discourse from the 1960s onwards.
Several attempts to lift women from the dungeon of life, especially women in developing
countries sparked off debates from several angles. First the feminist movements that
began in the late nineteeth century focusing on women’s subordination and attempting to
bring equality between men and women. Next, the discourse on women’s position in
development programmes that saw the emergence of various approaches to Women in
Development, (WID) and then Gender and Development (GAD). All of these efforts have
not completely solved women’s problems but brought great awareness raising among
them. In addition, women in conflict societies have had their roles changed dramatically
as they lost their husbands and sons in wars and automatically became heads of
households, and consequently, breadwinners as is the case in Liberia, Rwanda,
Somalia, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Sierra Leone etc.
Women can no longer endure to remain behind the curtain of the private domain of
society but press forward with their needs across patriarchal boundaries and find
temporal solutions to their problems, where governments and other local and
international organizations can not offer an immediate solution.
The emergence of
women from the private to the public domain; the consequences of the structural
adjustment programme of the 1980s; and the globalization process with its economic
restructuring; and conflict situations have witnessed the swelling of the informal sector in
developing countries, especially in post-conflict societies. Mr. Abu Bakarr Kargbo writing
for the Standard Times Newspaper in Sierra Leone in 2009 observed that “women are
creating their own businesses which are important sources of employment. But the policy
regulatory and institutional environments are often unfriendly to women entrepreneur.
26
His observations confirmed Todaro’s (2005) statement that those working in the informal
sector create their own employment. Sierra Leone is a post-conflict society and the 10 year civil war brought massive movement of the population from war-torn zones within
the country to safer havens, usually the urban towns. Many of the displaced in an
attempt to fend a living entered the informal sector. The population relying on this sector
for survival increased considerably after the war. It has been observed that there are
more women working in the informal sector in Sierra Leone than men. This observation
formed the basis for this research. Other questions the research attempted to answer
were: whether the educational level of these women determined the kind of informal jobs
they engage in, what type of skills they possess; why they are working in the sector; their
status within the sector; whether they suffer any discrimination in the course of their
employment; and what is their input in the sector?
Using questionnaires and focus group discussion guides as research instruments we
were able to elicit much information from our respondents and this will form the premise
of the discussion in this chapter.
A total of 200 female respondents informed this study. As indicated in chapter two early
literature was focused in this study to bring out transformation that has taken place within
the sector since it entered academic literature in the 1970s.. A little over three decades
after Sethuraman (1977) noted the youthful years of informal sector workers in selected
African countries stating that two-thirds of such workers in Freetown (Sierra Leone) were
under 39 years, we were able to prove that situations have not changed as the majority
of respondents in our study
were within the age range of 26-35 years, that is, 35.0
percent. The youthful population moving from the rural areas to swell the number of
unemployed youths in the urban towns, having neither skill nor education could only
sustain themselves from informal income generating activities. The problem of youth
unemployment has become a daunting problem for government to tackle with its limited
resources.
The idle ones have become trouble makers waiting to seize upon the
slightest opportunity to distress and deprive people in order to satisfy their needs. It is
usually stated that women bear the brunt of poverty in the family. They always go the
extra mile to ensure that family needs are met, therefore out of desperation they do
plunge into any income generating activity to gain income to meet family basic needs.
This is one reason why women predominate the informal sector employment. This study
revealed that 61 percent of married women, 20.5 percent of single mothers and 12.0
percent of widows formed the highest percentage of women in the sample studied.
Increased family size implies increased demands in the home. Women in the study
claimed to have from 1-2 children to 7-8 children and as many as 9 and more other
27
dependants.
These figures are unrealistic though not altogether impossible.
It is
however likely that dependants are counted as children since in the Sierra Leone context
every child under a women’s roof is her child. It is sometimes difficult to get them to
separate the two. It is also possible given the extended family system that in addition to
women’s many children other relatives are living with them. This may be one reason
why women flood the informal sector to find additional support and this kind of situation
perpetuates poverty among women. Consequently, when women state that they are
making profits they are actually saying that they are able to feed their family from the
gains, not that they have money at bank. For women as long as they are able to meet
their basic needs out of profit earned from income generating activity, they consider
themselves successful in business and consider the business profitable. This is one
reason why women’s success in business should not be assessed from accountancybased terms. Women know why they enter business and if these needs are met, they
are successful.
The women in the study acknowledge the profitability of their
endeavours by stating that their businesses are gainful because they could: “Feed
myself, family, and relatives; settle my medical bills; cloth myself, family and relatives;
educate my children; etc makes me self reliant; it is profitable”
Relationship between women’s education and their employment
Examining the educational background of the respondent, it was revealed that the
illiterates were in the majority 32.0 percent; secondary school levels 1-III were next 26.5,
percent which showed a transformation of the sector after over 30 years of recognition.
In Sethuraman’s report the highest educational level completed by respondents was
primary level and these formed only 6 percent of the study sample. Our study showed
that the situation is improving within the sector as school drop-outs and completers
conveniently join the sector to sustain themselves. Among respondents 24.0 percent
were primary school products, though only 17.5 percent completed this level, the rest 6.5
percent dropped along the line. Secondary school leavers, drop-outs and pushed-outs
from year 1-6 formed 35 percent of our sample. Some women were making attempts to
improve on their literacy status by enrolling in adult literacy classes 2.5 percent, and a
handful 1.0 had tertiary education. The women acknowledged the importance of
education and would willing seize any opportunity that will address this need. Fifty-six
percent would attend adult literacy class, 3.1 would like to go back to school and 0.9
percent would pursue higher learning. They indicated that education is important
because it will help them get a job easily 32.0 percent, improve their lives 6.0 percent
and change their status. These responses show the informal sector as an employer of
last resort if they were educated or better educated they would not be in this sector.
Consequently, strategies for girl-child education need to be revisited and probably
28
supported by legislation where the government is actually able to provide sufficient
schools to accommodate the growing population.
The Sierra Leone government’s free education at primary level, free J.S.S 1-3 level
education in certain regions of the country supported with text books and uniforms has
not solved the problem of dropping out among girls, neither convinced uneducated
parents that education is a thing for girls.
The women indicated that if they were educated enough they would get other jobs easily.
They admitted that education brings with it other opportunities. But many factors militate
against girl’s education; for example, one is that women are meant for marriage. In
addition, girl’s gender roles at home lead to lack of times to study especially in families
with illiterate or semi-literate parents. Interrupting school for initiation ceremonies after
which a girl is considered an adult, is still common. This often time leads to sexual
promiscuity and eventually to unwanted pregnancies because of which those affected
will have to drop out of school.
This came out in the focus group discussions where it was revealed that schooling was
interrupted by pregnancies, in certain cases. These less educated women could find
employment only in the informal sector, as Kargbo (2009, P12) states “as a survival
strategy they however face stiff competition from new entrants who are men who cannot
find jobs in the formal sectors.” The formal sector with its strict entry requirements cannot
accommodate them.
On the whole the research proved that women’s education influence the type of jobs they
engage in, in the informal sector. Due to their low level of education they could only learn
low paying skills as their responses showed: cake making, hairdressing, trading,
tailoring, soap-making, gardening, garri processing, typing, making local cooking
utensils, art and craft, catering. These skills could be improved in formal training
institutions, but these have entry requirements. Even those who completed secondary
education did not indicate whether they passed any subjects in their final examinations.
All of the skills listed above could be learnt at home, in the neighbourhood or from
friends. Consequently these skills could only enable them to live on subsistence basis.
Extraneous variables that affected the women’s employment due to their little or no
education were their status in the sector, their input, discrimination they experienced and
the income they earn.
29
Status
The status of the respondents within the sector was studied from several angles: (1) in
terms of how gainful their employment was, (2) initial capital to start business, (3) current
value of business in monetary terms and profit accrued, and (4) improvement in family
status because of business undertaken.
Responding to the question of how gainful their employment was the following responses
were made. Firstly, they all agreed that their employment was gainful 100.0 percent. This
was followed by reasons for stating that it was gainful: ‘it has improved my standard of
living 2.0 percent; makes it possible to take care of self, children, relatives 74.4 percent;
able to expand business 1.1 percent; able to save through osusu 2.0 percent; keeps me
busy 9.4 percent; it is good business 10.0 percent; and not much profit 1.1”.
Next, investigations were made into the status of their business in terms of initial capital
used to start the business. This would determine type and size of business. Initial capital
was received from relatives 61.5 percent; from personal savings 24.5 percent; obtained
loan 12.5 percent, somebody else owns the business 1.0 percent; and no response 0.5
percent. The status of the businesses at the time of the study was referring to the current
financial value of the business. The responses were:
Le50,000 to Le499,000, 55.0 percent; Le500,000 to 999,000, 28.0 percent; Le1,000,000
– Le1,499,000, 11.0 5; Le1,500,000 – Le1,999,000 2.0 percent; Le2,000,000 –
Le2,499,000, 3.0 percent; Le2,500,000 – Le2,999,000, nil, above Le3,000,000, 1.0
percent. At the current exchange rate of Le 4,020, 000 to US $ 1, it could be seen that
the least financial value of their businesses was below US $ 1 and the highest financial
value was US $ 746.26, which is, below US $ 800. Almost all of them agreed to be
making some profit 98.0 percent, no response 0.5 percent; not applicable 0.5 percent. .
The next question probed into improvements in the family life style due to engagement in
this type of employment. The following improvements were indicated: I can now take
care of my children and at the same time educate them 59.4 percent; can afford to pay
rent 7.5 percent, can settle problems without asking for loan 17.2 percent; can now take
care of parents 8.1 percent; improved standard of living 5.4 percent; can join expensive
osusu ( this is a rotating loan scheme among women at grassroots level) 0.6 percent;
now go to places I have never gone before 0.3 percent; been able to open an account at
the bank 0.6 percent; now take major decisions at home 0.3 percent; now have basic
knowledge of business 0.3 percent; now has capital 0.3 percent.
30
Input
Their input is seen in the type of commodities they sell:
Food items,
55.3 %
Cosmetics,
6.7 %
Clothing and cotton materials, 7.3 %
Foot wears (men and women), 5.0 %
Cooked food, 2.1 %
Used items from abroad, 5.4 %
Baby toiletteries (oil, soap, powder), 2.1 %
Ice cold water,
2.1 %
Plastic bowls, buckets and bags, 3.1 %
Toiletteries (soap, paste, brush), 2.1
Cigarettes, lighters, matches, 0.9 %
Other assorted items, 8.0 %
These women make these items easily available at one’s door step (the roamers) which
saves time in going to bigger retail stores. Those who sell along the streets and in the
markets also make access to these items easy.
Discrimination
As they struggle to survive or make ends meet, these women are often discriminated
against in the course of their employment in the informal sector as some authorities see
the informal sector as undesirable, a retarded sector with low productivity area, and a
drag on economic growth (Juma, Torori and Karima, 1993). This discrimination may also
be because of the kinds of commodities these women sell. MacGraffey (1989) believes
that the items women sell in the informal sector are influenced by the gender division of
labour which influence women to trade in software while their male counterparts trade in
metal products, technological products etc; commodities that require huge capital. This
could be true to an extent but lack of capital was found to be a major factor contributing
to the kinds of commodities women sold. Some of the women in this study admitted they
were selling the wares they had because that was what their capital could provide. In
spite of their constraints, these women are providing services and goods that the
majority of low income Sierra Leoneans can afford.
Income
The main reason for women turning to the informal sector is to generate an income. The
research showed that irrespective of the sum of start-off capital the women still gained
some profit which they used to settle problems they faced.
31
Examining respondents ability to save out of profit made they stated that they do save
41.0 percent; some use the profit to extend their businesses 40.9 percent; others use it
to re-pay their loans 5.3 percent; a few give loans to farmers 1.8 percent; buy building
materials 6.0 percent; educate children with their profit 2.8 percent; pay dues in mosque
0.4 percent; use money for initiation ceremony 0.4 percent, and a handful declared they
did not make any extra money 1.4 percent, meaning they do not save.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That the formal lending institutions devise special loan schemes for informal
sector workers. Alternatively, that special institutions be established to provide
capital to workers in this sector on terms to meet their special conditions.
2. That lending institutions provide counseling services and crash training to
recipients in the informal sector.
3. That governments demarcate market sites for informal sector workers who are
selling in the streets, in specific political divisions within urban towns to avoid
being harassed by Metropolitan and regular police, and also provide water and
toilet facilities for them.
4. That lending institutions encourage workers in this sector to save their profits with
them, how ever minimal this may be.
5. That crèche facilities be provided within market locations for mothers in the
sector.
6. That adult literacy and skills training structures be put in place to equip new
entrants into the sector who are illiterate with profitable skills and basic
knowledge in numeracy, to assist them with basic book-keeping skills.
7. That much sensitization is mounted to create awareness among workers in the
sector to learn skills or improve on the basic skills they already possess.
8. That women workers in this sector be encouraged to diversify their trades and
sell hardwares as their male counterparts.
9. Informal sector workers to register their businesses.
CONCLUSIONS
The informal sector has become an attractive work site for both young and old, literate
and illiterate poor and rich over the past few decades. New entrants are no longer
confined to poor and unskilled workers but also include workers being laid off from the
formal sector and workers in the formal sector who need additional funds to meet self
and family needs.
32
Examining the influence of women’s education on the type of employment they engage
in, and their status, discrimination they experience, input and income they earn in the
informal sector, this study concluded that:
1.
That women’s education has an influence on the type of employment they
engage in.
2.
Women are in the formal sector because they do not meet the requirements of
formal sector employment.
3. Their status within the sector is determined by many factors, such as initial
capital, wares sold and profits accrued from their businesses
4. That lack of education and formally acquired skills put the women in
disadvantaged positions within the sector.
5. That many of the type of activities these women engage in do not require any
special skills, such as selling ice cold water, toiletries, cigarettes, lighters, sweets,
hair products; hence they cannot opt for other trades until they acquire certain
skills
6. That these women actually sell in unhealthy conditions.
7. Women’s financial status can give them a voice in the home.
8. That the aforementioned recommendations from the researchers will contribute to
improving the status of women in the informal sector in Sierra Leone.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Adams, Dale W (1978)
“Mobilizing Household Savings through Rural
Financial Markets”
Economic
Development
and
Cultural
Change
Vol.26
Adams, Dale W and Fitchett,
Informal
Finance
in
Low-Income
Countries.
Boulder: DA (Ed) (1992)
Co.
Ardner, Edwin (1975)
“Belief and the Problem of Women” In Ardner,
Shirley (Eds) Perceiving Women. London: Malaby
Bayada, Mayada et al, (1992)
33
“Discrimination against Women in Formal Financial
Markets: Reality or Rhetoric”
Goodale, G (1989)
Training for Women in the Informal Sector, in
Training for Work in the Informal Sector, Fred
Fluitman (ed) ILO, 1989, Italy
Hart, K (1973)
“Informal Income Opportunities and Urban
Employment” in Ohara Journal of Modern Africa
Studies
Hawes, H.W.R (1976)
Curriculum and Curricular Development Survey in
Sierra Leone: an African Primary Curriculum Survey
Report, Department of Education in Developing
Countries, Institute of Education, University of
London
ILO, (2002).
Equal Employment Opportunities for Women and Men:
Better Life Programme for Rural Women
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/gems/
eco/program/nigeria/fmwa.htm
Janjua, S and Naveed, A (2009)
Skill Acquisition and the Significance of Informal
Training
System
in
Pakistan:
Some
Policy
Implications. Entries RSS –Web.
Juma, C, Torori C, and Kirima, C
The Adaptive Economy: Economic Crisis and
(1993)
Technological Innovation, Nairobi: African Center
for Technology Studies Press.
Kargbo, A B. (2009)
“Women in Economic Life” Standard Times,
Newspaper, Tuesday 29th September 2009
Khalek, A.S.A. (2005)
Microfinance:
Viable
Financial
Services
for
Development Honours Essay, Carleton University,
Ottawa, Oritanio Canada.
King, K (1980)
Training
for
Developing
the
Urban
Countries:
Informal
Policy
Sector
Issues
in
for
Practioners, in Training for Work in the Informal
Sector, Fred Fluitman (ed), ILO, 1989, Italy.
MacGraffay, J (1989)
“Creatively Coping with Crisis: Entrepreneurs in the
Second Economy of Zaire (Democratic Republic of
Congo)
Madhi, A. A. M (2009)
Fostering
Sierra
Development
Leone
through
Business
Women
Entrepreneurship
Economic Empowerment, unpublished, USL.
34
for
Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (2008) Annual School Assessment Report,
Freetown
Osmani, L.N.K (1998a)
The Grameen Bank Experiment: Empowerment of
Women
through
Credit
in
Afshar
H.
(ed),
Empowering Women: Illustration from the Third
World.
New York, St Martin’s Press.
Sethuraman, S.V. (1977)
The Informal Sector in African, in the International
Labour Review, Vol.116, No.3, ILO, Geneva.
Statistics Sierra Leone (2004)
Population and Housing Survey, Freetown
Statistics Sierra Leone (2006)
Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report
an Employment and Labour Force, UNFPA, SSL,
EU, Freetown.
Statistics Sierra Leone (2004)
Sierra Leone Integrated Housing Survey, Freetown
UNDO, (2006)
Human Development Report, New York
Janjua, S and Naveed, A (2009)
Skill Acquisition and the Significance of Informal
Training
System
in
Pakistan:
Some
Policy
Implications. Entries RSS –Web.
Juma, C, Torori C, and Kirima, C
The Adaptive Economy: Economic Crisis and
(1993)
Technological Innovation, Nairobi: African Center
for Technology Studies Press.
Kargbo, A B. (2009)
“Women in Economic Life” Standard Times,
Newspaper, Tuesday 29th September 2009
Khalek, A.S.A. (2005)
Microfinance:
Viable
Financial
Services
for
Development Honours Essay, Carleton University,
Ottawa, Oritanio Canada.
King, K (1980)
Training
for
Developing
the
Urban
Countries:
Informal
Policy
Sector
Issues
in
for
Practioners, in Training for Work in the Informal
Sector, Fred Fluitman (ed), ILO, 1989, Italy.
MacGraffay, J (1989)
“Creatively Coping with Crisis: Entrepreneurs in the
Second Economy of Zaire (Democratic Republic of
Congo)
Madhi, A. A. M (2009)
Fostering
Sierra
Development
Leone
through
Business
Women
Entrepreneurship
for
Economic Empowerment, unpublished, USL.
Ministry of Education Youth and Sport (2008) Annual School Assessment Report,
Freetown
35
Osmani, L.N.K (1998a)
The Grameen Bank Experiment: Empowerment of
Women
through
Credit
in
Afshar
H.
(ed),
Empowering Women: Illustration from the Third
World.
New York, St Martin’s Press.
Sethuraman, S.V. (1977)
The Informal Sector in African, in the International
Labour Review, Vol.116, No.3, ILO, Geneva.
Statistics Sierra Leone (2004)
Population and Housing Survey, Freetown
Statistics Sierra Leone (2006)
Population and Housing Census: Analytical Report
an Employment and Labour Force, UNFPA, SSL,
EU, Freetown.
Statistics Sierra Leone (2004)
Sierra Leone Integrated Housing Survey, Freetown
UNDO, (2006)
Human Development Report, New York
APPENDIX I
SURVEY ON EDUCATION AND WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT: A STUDY OF THEIR
STATUS AND INPUT IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR IN SIERRA LEONE
This study is about women in the informal sector of Sierra Leone to determine their input
and status and to find out to what extent they are discriminated against. Kindly answer
the questions frankly.
A.
36
BIODATA
1.
Name:…………………………………………………………………………...
2.
Age:……………………………………………………………………………
3.
Town:…………………………………………………………………………
4.
Marital Status: Married
5.
Number of Children:…………………………………………………………
6.
Number of other dependents:…………………………………………………
Single
Widow
Divorced
Separated
B.
EDUCATIONAL LEVEL
7a.
What is your educational
attainment?..................................................................
b.
Give reasons for level of
attainment…………………………………………….
…………………………………………………………………………………..
c.
How would you improve on your educational level if given an opportunity?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
d.
To what level would you like to improve your education and why?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
e.
If you are to attend classes, how much time do you have for learning?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
f.
Do you see education as important, how?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
C.
SKILLS
(a)
What skill(s) do you have?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(b)
Where did you acquire the skill(s)?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(c)
Why did you choose to learn the skill(s)?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
37
(d)
When did you learn these skills?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(e)
How much did it cost you to learn the skill(s)?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(f)
In what way(s) is/are the skill(s) useful to you?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
D.
EMPLOYMENT
(a)
What type of employment are you engaged in? (Whether self or for
others)
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(b)
Why did you decide to undertake this type of employment?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(c)
What type of goods are you selling?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(d)
What are your reasons for selling these types of goods?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(e)
Do you see your employment as gainful? How?
...................................................................................................................
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(f)
38
What problems do you encounter in your job?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(g)
How did you obtain your initial capital for this business?
…………………………………………………………………………………......
......................................................................................................................
....
(h)
What problems did you encounter in getting capital to start this business?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
E.
STATUS OF BUSINESS
(a)
What is the total cost of your business?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(b)
Do you get any profit from this business?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
©
How do you use your profit?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(d)
In what way(s) do you see improvement in your life and family as a result
of your business activity?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(e)
How has your business helped to solve your family problems?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
…………………………………………………………………………………..
(f)
What do you do with the extra money after solving your family problem?
…………………………………………………………………………………..
39
…………………………………………………………………………………..
F.
GENERAL
1.
What would you suggest for improvement of your kind of business?
(a)
For yourself
………………………………………………………………………
………………………………………………………………………
(b)
For other business women
…………………………………………………………………………………………
……………………………………………………………………………………...
………………………………………………………………………
APPENDIX II
SURVEY ON EDUCATION AND WOMEN’S EMPLOYMENT
A CASE STUDY OF WOMEN IN THE INFORMAL SECTOR OF
SIERRA LEONE, FOR IMPROVEMENT OF THEIR OUTPUT AND
STATUS
FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSION
This study is about women in the informal sector of Sierra Leone for
improvement of their output and status
Instruction: listen carefully to the field assistants who will slowly read these
questions before you answer.
BIODATA
1.
(a) Code:…………………............................................................................................
......
(b) The name of the market site::………………….……………………………………
(c)
Chiefdom/Ward:……………………………………………………………………
(d) District:………………………………………………………………………………
40
2.
Are there schools in your community?
3.
Did you get an opportunity to go to school?
4.
Why did you choose to work in the informal sector?
5.
What was/were the reason(s) given that prevented you from going to school?
6.
Do you see education as important?
7.
What are some of the benefits of education?
8.
If you went to school what job/occupation would you have liked?
9.
(a)
If you have the opportunity would you learn something?
(b)
If yes, What?
(c)
If no, Why?
10. Would you change your present occupation for another if you have the
opportunity?
41
APPENDIX III
The MASK Research Group
Research on the Informal Sector
The Statistician General
Statistics Sierra Leone
A J Momoh Street
Tower Hill
Freetown
15 – 01 -2010
Dear Sir,
Permission to access data from your Library
The MASK research team is a group of researchers seeking to develop their research
skills. The team is made up of four members: Rev. Joe Massallay and Agnes Pessima of
Fourah Bay College; Peter Koroma of Partners in Adult Education Co-ordinating Office
and Mr. Dominic Simbo of the People’s Educational Association, Sierra Leone.
We are currently engaged in a research involving Freetown and Makeni. We are seeking
permission to access data on these two areas pertaining to population, socio-economic
activities, ethnic composition the community and household characteristics.
Thank you very much in advance for your kind co-operation.
Yours sincerely,
Agnes Pessima (Ms)
Group Leader
42