Effects of gender-labour relations in tobacco production on socio-economic welfare in Kuria east and west sub-counties, Migori County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined gender-labour relations in tobacco production and their implications on household‟s socio-economic welfare in Kuria Sub-Counties. The major issue that led to this study was and still remains that tobacco is being regarded as a crop belonging to men since its inception in the 1960‟s. Consequently, men have institutionalized restriction and constraints on women regarding the access to land resources and the benefits accrued from tobacco sales on one hand, while appropriating the intra-household tobacco labour on the other. The most affected social segments are women and children in this scenario. This study intended to establish facts of this assertion through three objectives, which included: to examine the effects of intra-household gender-labour relations in tobacco production on socio-economic welfare of the household in Kuria Sub-Counties, to assess the effects of access to resources in tobacco production on socio-economic welfare of the household in Kuria Sub-Counties and to evaluate the effects of differentials between female and male headed households in tobacco production on socio-economic welfare of the household in Kuria Sub-Counties. This study was informed by both the Structuration and the Marxist theory of dialectic materialism. Both cross-sectional survey and ex-post facto designs were adopted in this study. The target population consisted of tobacco farmers. Data was obtained through interview schedules and focus group discussions. Sample size was 212 households and the unit of analysis was the household head. Multi-stage sampling procedures were applied. SPSS version 21 was employed for data analysis. The descriptive statistics were utilized in this study. Findings of the study established that 98 percent of the respondents were significantly affected in their intra-household labour relations, while 92 percent indicated that gendered distribution of work had the socio-cultural differentials. Further, 77 percent of the respondents asserted that decision making on household tobacco income spending was made by the husband, whereas 75 percent pointed out that female headed households had good welfare considerations. This study concludes that tobacco production significantly affected gender-labour relations and socio-economic welfare of the households. This study recommends that the Government of Kenya should formulate strong policies to alleviate gender-labour challenges and household‟s socio-economic welfare. Further research should be conducted in other adjunct areas in relation to tobacco production involving child labour and health problems in Kuria East and West Sub-Counties.