Gender analysis of the Zimbabwe housing guaranty program

This study examines why this happened. The study finds that even when programs are designed to be gender-neutral, women will not be as effectively reached as men. Women enter any formal housing program with a number of disadvantages: they are less able than men to afford even minimum housing; they face more time constraints than men because of their triple role as breadwinner, childraiser, and homemaker; they lack urban building skills; and they are still discriminated against in Zimbabwean culture and law. Other problems included the HG screening process, which put a greater burden for proving eligibility on women than on men; and the domineering attitudes of male building contractors (many women complained that their builders had stolen materials from them and refused to acknowledge poor workmanship). Despite these constraints and the entrenched Zimbabwean notion that men, not women, should be homeowners, women"s commitment to ownership and willingness to hold several jobs have enabled them to build relatively larger houses under the HG program than men. Many of the women beneficiaries interviewed felt justifiably pleased with their achievements. Recommendations are made for integrating gender concerns into USAID/Z"s current housing program. Includes bibliography.