Mulheres no sector informal: esforço e criatividade na luta pela sobrevivência. O caso do Mercado Bazuka, Cidade de Maputo, 1987/1996

Abstract

In Mozambique, as well as in Third World countries in general, there has been a great development of the informal sector in recent years. In the particular case of our country, the reasons are linked to the high rate of unemployment, created by the inability to absorb this workforce by the formal sector. Our study sought to analyze the informal sector in Mozambique, through the case study in the Bazuka market. Objectives were to analyze the causes of the large female participation in the informal sector, as well as the motivations and constraints that lead women to practice certain activities and not others. Still within the informal sector, it is intended to evaluate the impact of these activities on the family^ as well as to analyze the articulation of domestic activities with those of the informal sector. Methodologically, our work was based on a literature review and semi-open interviews with sellers and people in charge of the Bazuka market. In the course of this work, we found that the informal sector was the most viable alternative for women in Maputo city to obtain a job or engage in income-generating activities. The female presence in informal commerce must be seen in the plural, because there is a great difference between female sellers, which is reflected in the volume of business as well as in the level of income. The returns obtained vary depending on the initial investment. We find saleswomen whose income is exclusively for daily subsistence and those who manage to accumulate. In these cases, the accumulation allows the expansion of the business, the beginning of another activity or the construction of a house for the household. Women who work in informal commerce continue to be the main responsible for domestic work. Thus, the work journey of these women begins in the morning at their homes and ends at the end of the night (TRADUÇÃO NOSSA)