Civil Society Organisations have welcomed findings on new interventions that promise to shift mindsets and behaviour around Gender and Social Norms surrounding unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) in Uganda. CSOs interested in care economy issues had convened at Serena Hotel on October 30, 2024, to mark the international month of care and support. They discussed results from a three-year study which used a social-ecological model code-named P.O.W.E.R to address UCW burden on women.
The critical reviewer of the research findings Ms. Jane Sanyu Mpagi, a Gender and Social Development Expert, said the study used scientifically tested techniques and the “findings were very relevant because they can apply at national and international level.”
P.O.W.E.R. stands for Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment, Organizing Men to Challenge Inequities, Working with Communities, Engaging Local-Level Duty-Bearers, and Reaching Out to Decision-Makers through Advocacy.
The engagement was convened by the Uganda Women’s Network (UWONET) while the study was done in the districts of Mpigi, Masindi, Mbarara, and Pallisa by a consortium of Makerere University School of Women and Gender Studies, Care International in Uganda and Economic Policy Research Centre. The meeting, which attracted more than 80 participants, was also attended by Members of Parliament on the Gender Committee and from the Uganda Women Parliamentary Association.
In the presentation to CSOs, Dr Madina M. Guloba, a co-principal investigator, said analysis of the interventions shows that “the POWER intervention has yielded positive outcomes, with a noticeable” reduction in women’s time spent in UCW and an increase in men’s involvement in UCW in the intervention parishes.
In parishes where the full model was implemented, women’s time in UCW activities fell by at least one and a half hours compared to areas where nothing was done. Also, women’s time spent on paid activities went up by 35 minutes in intervention areas.
This would be a great achievement if it can be replicated across the country. A 2017/18 time use survey by the Uganda Bureau of Statistics showed that women in Uganda spent at least 6.6hours per day in unpaid care work.
From the consortium study, men benefited too. For instance, men’s time spent on paid activities went up by 17 minutes in areas where the full power model was implemented. Many men were also able to get involved in community activities such as village local council meetings, school parents and teachers’ meetings among others.
In areas where parts of the model were implemented, PO and WER interventions led to a decreased perception among men of care and domestic work being a women’s role only.
CRITICAL REVIEWER
The critical reviewer of the research findings Jane Sanyu Mpagi, a gender and social development expert, said the methodology was robust and used scientifically tested techniques. She added that the “study findings were very relevant because they can apply to national and international level.”
At the global level, she said, the study fits into agenda 30 SDG 5.4 which aims to recognise and value unpaid care and domestic work. At the national level, data generated can be important to government to effectively implement the SDGs at the time when there is noticeable data gap on gender indicators.
Ms. Mpagi recognised the fact that emerging evidence that the power model effectively shifts gender social norms within households and communities. She urged the authors to amplify the voices of children in the final report.
On a reflective note, she said that given that the research was done in 18 months, and “we are dealing with Gender social norms and behaviours learned overtime. Is it possible that these learned behaviours overtime can be transformed within 18 months without any other factor affecting?”
She urged the researchers to use the studies and make case for incorporating the same in the implementation of the Parish Development Model (PDM), a recent government initiative to lift millions of households from subsistence to money economy.
REACTIONS
In the plenary, several members of the CSOs community welcomed the study as an important addition to the effort to address issues in the care economy.
Ms. Sarah Nanyondo Okello, a participant, stressed the need to connect the research findings to the overall economy, noting that there were divisions between the public and private sectors. She said men typically earn more from the public sector, while women predominantly work in the [informal] private sector, and that their contribution to overall growth should be captured.
Ms. Lina Asiimwe, from the Eastern African Union Association (EAC), appreciated the report, noting its relevance. She said the research team should now focus on the identification of gatekeepers of social norms within the communities that may break the changes that are happening. She said some of the gatekeepers can be women themselves where they oppose any attempts by their husbands to assist washing clothes, viewing it as diminishing to a man’s status.
Hon. Rechael Magoola, the Woman MP for Bugweri district, noted that “despite considering herself a liberated woman, she comes from a predominantly Muslim constituency where traditional cultural norms are deeply entrenched. She emphasized the importance of deconstructing these social and cultural norms, stating that many people in her community view gender roles as fixed.
“Women are often expected to fulfil nurturing roles while men take on the role of providers, a pattern she attributed to historical precedents. Even with the advancements in education, this division continues to persist,” she said
CSOs are particularly significant for the sustainability of the changes that the study was observing in the community.
EPRC Executive Director Sarah Ssewanyana said the engagement with representatives from CSOs was very important.
“It not only deepens discussion on the critical issue of care and domestic work in Uganda, but it also gives us confidence that we shall forge synergies to scale up the positive outcomes and make our communities better,” she said in remarks read on her behalf by Ibrahim Kasirye, the EPRC Director of Research.
CSOs work with communities, policymakers, and other interest groups. Their overriding goal is to improve society by empowering women and families in general.
The study received financial support from the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada.