Gendered patterns of IMT adoption and use: Learning from action research

Abstract

The full-text may be used and/or reproduced, and given to third parties in any format or medium, without prior permission or charge, for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-prot purposes provided that:• a full bibliographic reference is made to the original source • a link is made to the metadata record in DRO • the full-text is not changed in any way The full-text must not be sold in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders.Please consult the full DRO policy for further details. AbstractThis paper illustrates the value of using an action research methodology to improve understanding of gendered patterns of adoption and non-adoption of Intermediate Means of Transport (IMTs) and similar gender-related transport issues. It presents results from a novel action research project undertaken in five farming villages in southern Ghana, a region where IMT usage is currently low. The participatory action research study not only revealed important issues around differences between stated preferences and actual gendered patterns of adoption and non-adoption in the particular context of southern Ghana, but offers a methodology which may have value in many other gender and transport contexts across sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Transport Services and Their Impact on Poverty and Growth in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa: A Review of Recent Research and Future Research Needs

“…Bicycle ownership has offered a complementary transport mode for personal travel and smaller loads, but mostly for men -in many regions women and girls are (still) discouraged from cycling (Malmberg Calvo 1994,;Doran 1996:25;Flanary 2004;Porter, Blaufuss, Acheampong 2012). Women and their children, however, have continued to play a dominant role in unpaid domestic and intrasettlement head-porterage, often in support of family commercial activities (Porter 2011;Porter et al 2012a).…”

Child Porterage and Africa’s Transport Gap: Evidence from Ghana, Malawi and South Africa

“…Perhaps solar-powered vehicles will provide part of the solution in the very long-term, but in the near future it would be unrealistic to imagine that the need for human-power will disappear. One possibility may be to focus more on production of very simple, cheap forms of IMT such as wheelbarrows and push trucks, which can be operated by adults and children alike: in southern Ghana a small IMT action research project, for example, showed that the introduction of push trucks encouraged young boys to take over some water and firewood transport from their sisters and mothers (Porter, Blaufuss, & Owusu Acheampong, 2012): even 20 months after the intervention they perceived operating the trucks as play, not work. Although IMT interventions are often captured by men, redistribution of load-carrying work along these lines could substantially reduce female time-poverty in many locations (as is evident in some of our South African sites) and in the longer term might contribute to redressing gender inequalities.…”

Reflections on a century of road transport developments in West Africa and their (gendered) impacts on the rural poor

“…In the early 2000s, I led a small action research study to explore IMT impact on 5 villages in southern Ghana over an 18 month period. From this we learned not just how but also why women's stated preferences prior to an intervention may differ from actual patterns of adoption, about the potentially crucial role of labour availability to women for operating the equipment, and the potential significance for gender relations of linkages between the type of IMT introduced and the degree of personal mobility they offer to women (Porter, Blaufuss, Acheampong 2012). While more widespread adoption of IMT could have substantial positive impact on the lives of women and children, interventions needed to be planned and executed with great care.…”