An exploratory study on the experiences of women street vendors and the psycho-social effects of street life on children of women street vendors in eThekwini District

Abstract

In post-apartheid South Africa, most people had hoped to find better and stable jobs, that would provide decent earnings to live a better life. However, unemployment is still an issue in this country. Street vending has become a source of income for most South African families and households. Most people have resorted to street vending due to a lack of employment and a lack of education. This is common to women who carry the responsibility of taking care of their children and families, for them to survive. Women seem to be the ones who are dominating the street vending business compared to men. This is due to women having the sole responsibility to perform caregiving duties and to provide for their children’s basic needs. While much research has been done on the earnings of street vendors, there is little research exploring the experiences of women vendors and the psycho-social effects that street life has on the children of women vendors in the eThekwini district. This highlights the need for the current study to understand the plight of children of these women vendors. A qualitative approach was used to explore the experiences of fifteen women vendors and the psycho-social challenges their children faced on the streets. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to gain insight into participant’s reasons for resorting to street vending, determine their challenges and understand how street life affected their children psycho-socially. The participants included were those aged 21-50, and who had at least one child. Using thematic analysis, six themes and twenty sub-themes emerged from the data. Findings conducted for this study have revealed that, financial challenge is the primary reason why women chose street vending. Whilst street vending, women vendors encounter additional challenges. These challenges include a lack of infrastructure and resources, violence and crime, competition between street vendors and authorities, and gender inequalities towards women street vendors. Women vendors also experience challenges with their children on the street. Many children who vend with their mothers on the street face social, physical, and psychological challenges. Participants expressed that they had to rise early to prepare their children and themselves for work. Therefore, juggling between work and childcare was hard. Children had skin disorders, flu, and sinuses. Children also faced the challenges of being bullied and mistreated by their peers, as their mothers were known to be working on the streets. Lastly other risk factors discovered was traffic road accidents and the kidnapping of children. In order to improve the street vending life for women vendors and their children, the study recommends the provision of facilities to keep their children safe until the end of their shift. Furthermore, government officials need to take the initiative of observing the eThekwini area in need of support, regarding services. Lastly, awareness campaigns around road accidents, kidnapping, sexual abuse and any other risks children face on the street should be considered