Women Householders and Housing Strategies: The Case of Harare, Zimbabwe

摘要

Housing is central both as an aim and as a means in the strategies adopted by women who head households. This is made visible in the research which consists of a series of studies of various housing forms in Harare, the capital of Zimbabwe and its suburb, Chitungwisa. Quantitative data drawn from registers provides a background to an analysis of women's strategies as they are identified on basis of interviews. Whether living in a site-and-service or in a core housing area women house-owners proved to be strongly committed to their houses and able to overcome the constraints that follow from being the only income-earner and adult person in their households. As a housing form lodging was disliked but was the only option for many. The strategies of housing provision applied by central and local governments were examined in relation to the experiences of women.