— Master’s Thesis —
The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted economies worldwide as governments formulated policies to control the spread of coronavirus and support social and economic recovery from the pandemic. However, these policies did not incorporate gender considerations, hence deepening the gender and socio-economic inequalities, especially for women vendors who are overrepresented in the informal food economy. In secondary cities in the Global South, women vendors play a significant role in supporting the urban household food needs and livelihoods, yet limited studies have explored the gender gaps in the COVID-19 control and recovery measures exist in these contexts. This thesis implemented a cross-sectional study design, incorporating community-based participatory approaches to explore the gender gaps in the pandemic control measures and the post-pandemic recovery strategies in Kisumu City in Kenya. The study adopted qualitative methods to gather data through policy document reviews (n=6), key informant interviews (n=20), in-depth interviews (n=20), and focus group discussions (n=40) of 4 discussion groups with 10 people in each group. All interviews were recorded and transcribed, and data management and analysis were undertaken in NVivo Version 15. Data were analyzed both deductively, guided by the principles of the Intersectionality-based Policy Analysis (IBPA) framework, and inductively following Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis. Based on the analysis of the data, two main papers emerged from this research work. The first paper, An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis of the COVID-19 Control Measures and Experiences of Women Informal Food Vendors in Secondary Cities: A Case Study of Kisumu City, Kenya, examined the extent to which control policies were gender-sensitive to the roles and needs of women vendors and whether their perspectives were incorporated into policy design. The second paper, An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) of post-pandemic recovery policies: Experiences of women informal food vendors in Kisumu City, Kenya, explored the gender responsiveness of post-COVID-19 policies and their influence on resilience, recovery, and sustainability of female-led informal food businesses. Findings from the first paper revealed a limited incorporation of relevant gender considerations for female vendors within the COVID-19 policy interventions. Consequently, women vendors were adversely impacted by curfews, mobility restrictions, and market closures, which curtailed their ability to earn a livelihood and support the food needs of urban households. Existing socio-cultural norms, compounded with the changing dynamics during the pandemic, such as school closures and burdened health systems, intensified care work and household duties for women vendors, disproportionately impacting them. Findings from the second paper showed that post-pandemic policies prioritized formal sector recovery; hence, the informal food sector received minimal government and private sector support. Women vendors faced several barriers to accessing credit from financial entities such as banks and micro-finance agencies. Limited social protection mechanisms, such as medical coverage, pension benefits, and business insurance, worsened the vulnerability of female-led businesses to the effects of the pandemic, hence hindering recovery. Collectively, both studies highlight the role of individual and collective agency, whereby the vendors devised coping mechanisms including reliance on community initiatives, informal saving groups, and social networks to survive and recover from the effects of the pandemic. Additionally, both the COVID-19 control and post-pandemic recovery policies ignored the existing gender inequalities shaped by multiple intersecting social locations of the women informal food vendors, resulting in disproportionate impacts and unequal recovery from the pandemic. This thesis demonstrates the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on female-led businesses in secondary cities of the Global South. Applying the IBPA framework illuminates how several intersecting social locations influenced women’s experiences of the pandemic, hence shaping the recovery of the businesses not only post-pandemic but also in times of current and future emergencies. Additionally, this thesis makes methodological and theoretical contributions as it advances the application of qualitative methods and the IBPA framework in the analysis of relevant policies and the lived experiences of the female informal food vendors in secondary cities of the Global South. The evidence from this work is critical for the sustenance of the informal food sector and the enhancement of women’s resilience to emergencies, hence supporting women’s role in sustaining the urban household food security and livelihoods.
