Female traders hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic

It is commonly acknowledged across the world that crises, like this one, do not affect all persons and communities equally. In Zimbabwe, the pandemic is mostly impacting the poor, and in particular females. Indeed, both Zimbabwe's chronic economic difficulties and the worldwide pandemic are causing problems for women and girls. During the crisis, the only trade they knew to survive prior to COVID-19 had been hammered the worst. The pandemic has revealed the government's inadequacy to create safety nets for its population, particularly in times of crisis, and to execute gender-sensitive measures.

Woman vending outside supermarket in Gweru - Photos taken by Russell Gwaunza

Female vendors in Zimbabwe make up the majority of the informal sector. They take up about 67 percent of small, micro and medium tourism enterprises (SMMEs). These women are into cross border trading, agriculture, dairy farming, crafts, food vending, selling groceries, clothing and footwear amongst other things.

According to an article written by Nyaradzo Ruwisi, 80 percent of these women are between the ages of 25 and 54 and about half of them are the main breadwinners in their households. For these women, trading is a means of staying alive, putting food on their family’s tables, paying for their children’s school fees or it can evolve into something bigger that can enable them to live a better life.

Women are exposed to several hazards as a result of their determination to earn a living and provide for their family. The economic situation in Zimbabwe already had women subjecting themselves to such conditions but it has now become worse. Female vendors are at risk of facing gender-based violence on a daily basis. Coercion, extortion, discrimination in obtaining trading papers, sexual harassment, and exploitation, as well as physical assault and verbal harassment, are examples of these violations that occur on a daily basis.

Woman sitting with the produce that she sells in Gweru CBD - Photos taken by Russell Gwaunza

Vendors Initiative for Economic Transformation (VISET) hosted a virtual informal female hub where they sought to develop an inclusive gender policy for the informal economy, which will include eradication of gender-based violence and corruption in the informal economy.

I interviewed Rumbudzai Dube and Elina Tauro, two female informal traders, about how they navigate the informal sector as women and provide for their families. You can listen below