Development Studies (BSCHDS)

I. Background to the Study In this study household chores are all the tasks and activities that go into maintaining households and their members, such as caring for children, cooking, washing, helping kids with school homework etc. Parenthood often strengthens the gendered division of labor and intensifies gendered patterns in time use [1]; [2]. [3] suggests that norms about mother's care responsibilities are more traditional than norms about father's breadwinner responsibilities. While mothers still are expected to take on the main responsibility for home and children, [4] and [5] argues that male breadwinner ideology has weakened. Once the male breadwinner norm is violated and a wife contributes more to household income, a couple neutralizes gender deviance through the performance of housework, with wives who contribute the majority of couple income spending more time on housework [6]. In Sweden and the other Nordic countries, family policy is strongly oriented towards a dual earner-career family where both parents are involved in both the labour market and in child care [7], [3]. Reference [8] found that married women worked longer hours in household tasks in all the households she surveyed but that there were some differences where women worked and those where they did not. Data from an Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development study 2001 as cited in [9] suggests that women employed in full time paid work nevertheless put in more hours of unpaid work than men. This was supported in the findings of [10], who allude that women put in more hours of housework than men even as their share of household earnings increase. In addition, [11] concurs that when women earn more than 65 per cent of family income, the time that they spend on housework actually increases and eight out of ten married women do more housework than their husbands. Although the relative resources hypothesis portrays housework bargaining as an exchange process unbiased by gender, some evidence suggests that wives' hours of housework increase and husbands' hours decrease when wives out earn their husbands [6]; [12]; [13]. Reference [14] shows that patterns of association between women's housework time and earnings share indicate both gender deviance neutralization and bargaining, but he finds no such association for men. What is important Abstract: The study which was mainly qualitative sought to explore the gender inequalities and challenges being faced by full time employed married women aged 20-40 in the city of Gweru in Zimbabwe on household chores allocation. This approach was selected to enable the researchers to investigate the crux gender inequalities and to develop an intricate and holistic view of the phenomenal. The study was exploratory, where the researchers progressively made sense of the gender inequalities by engagement in the everyday life of gender inequalities in full-time working married women. Data was generated through interviews and focus groups with couples who are both fully employed in different sectors of the economy. Observations were also utilized during the study. The study finds out that there are gender inequalities among working married women in Gweru in the allocation of household chores. Most of the household chores are perceived to be women's responsibility despite their contribution in the breadwinning in the families. Cultural norms emerged as the major factor that influences this escalation of gender inequalities in household chores with men trying to protect their masculinity and dominants over women. How ever, fewer women seem to be contending in performing the household chores as they associate this with their femininity saying it is God given. The study recommends that faith based organizations and men's organizations be at the forefront in campaigning against gender inequalities in household chores.

The main aim of this research was to undertake an enquiry on the essence of informal waste recovery on pickers " lives and livelihoods. Much focus was on how the urban waste had improved waste pickers " lives and livelihood. The objectives of the study were to determine the socioeconomic status of the waste pickers; establish what was being recovered at the dumpsite; and to come up with recommendations on informal waste recovery as a means of a livelihood. The study found out that the informal waste pickers earned an income from waste. In addition, the informal waste recovery is also reducing the waste at the landfill which will then contribute positively to the life span of the landfill. However, waste pickers " livelihoods were enhanced in unsafe ways and environments. The study recommends that the informal sector be recognized as stakeholders within the municipality " s waste management. This can be achieved through the formation of associations and cooperatives in the informal waste recovery sector. This study assumes that if informal waste recovery can be integrated into the formal sector, the City of Gweru can also benefit from waste recovery in many ways for example through engaging people recovering waste at the landfill and educating them on the dangers of working without protective clothing

Residents' behavior and perspectives towards unbridled increase in illegal dumping of waste were the main drivers of this study. The study adopted an exploratory research design and a qualitative approach to gain insight into the attitudes and behavior of the targeted population. The population sample comprised of fifty participants specifically forty residents of Mkoba 16 Township, two Development agents, councilor, two Environmental Officers from Gweru City Council, one Environmental Health Technician from Environmental Management Agents (E.M.A), one Driver, two bin loaders and one general hand in the department of Waste Management all operating within Mkoba 16 Township. Three focus groups were also conducted with residents and face to face interviews were conducted with the councilor, environmental officers and development officers. The study found out that different perspectives and behavior towards waste were confirmed to be the main causes of illegal waste dumping. Lack of bins or receptacles also influences residents' behavior towards waste management. The study recommends the need to instill a sense of ownership in residents through allowing them full participation in waste management initiatives. It is critical for the City of Gweru to hold workshops and consultations with all the residents and stakeholders on the proper handling of waste.

This study aimed at finding the feasibility of total migration to on-line learning for Zimbabwe Open University students in remote areas such as Gokwe North District. This study was conducted during the lockdown period that was instituted by the government as a measure to curb the spread of Covid-19 disease. The study was limited to the students in Gokwe North District and it utilized a pragmatic research approach which was a triangulation of quantitative and qualitative methods. Questionnaires, interviews and observations were utilized to gather information. The study established that students in Gokwe North District lacked appropriate and adequate technology to conduct on-line learning. The gargets were expensive and beyond their means. Both students and lecturers did not have the skills to conduct on-line learning effectively. There was a need for the government to provide a conducive environment for the adoption of on-line learning. The gadgets must be affordable whilst connectivity should be improved in Gokwe North District. Users of digital technology must be trained in the use of gadgets.

Zimbabwean harmonised general elections of 2008 and 2013 have been marred with voting irregularities and mainly voter aparthy. There has been serious political constentations over the voter education practice with various stakeholders engaged in direct, formal as well as indirect and informal voter education. Despite political parties and Zimbabwe s Electoral Body- Zimbabwe Election Commission taking part in voter education, the results have been the same. Many people do not vote, many people are turned away from polling stations and many spoil their ballot papers. This research sought to find out the challenges and prospects of voter education in Zimbabwe with particular emphasis on Gweru District prior or during the 2008 and 2013 Harmonised Elections. The study also sought to understand and find out the challenges of voter education since the numerous concerns by the Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), political parties and other stakeholders in the electoral process pertaining to...