Household labor use and changes in gender roles on small farms in Ndhiwa Division, Western Kenya : the challenge of comparing the contributions of different workers

Much of the labor for food production is provided by women who bear more responsibility for household nurturance, like child care and food preparation, than other members of the family. Men are more often involved in livestock activities in addition to their roles in the provision of family security, as is perceived to be culturally appropriate. Although gender roles are changing, the overall structure of the division of labor is still generally lopsided, with women, particularly those who function as de facto household heads, assuming disproportionately more responsibilities than men. The household labor situation is likely to deteriorate further with increased involvement of the farmers in off-farm enterprises, which are intended to supplement family incomes but are often economically non-viable owing to poor infrastructure and lack of management skills and capital. The overall objective of this study is to investigate and analyze patterns of labor contribution by males and females in small-farm production by showing whether each member of the household performed a task frequently, occasionally, or never. Among the major findings of this study are that: (1) women have use rights to land that belongs to their husbands or other male relatives, while men have legal rights to land, which they sell with or without the knowledge or consent of their spouses; (2) the prevailing farming system involves an intensive use of existing labor and land resources to produce crops and livestock; and (3) the distinctive features of household production in this small farm community is its heavy reliance on non-wage family labor, limited use of hired labor, and increasing involvement in off-farm labor markets, with women predominating in food production and being more heavily involved in household work, and men tending to migrate to the urban areas and contributing a disproportionately small amount of labor on the farm. (Author abstract)