Coping Mechanisms to Income Loss by Girls and Women during COVID-19: Evidence from Selected Informal Settlements in Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Kosimbei, George K
Omolo, Jacob O
Rono, Gladys J
Musyoka, Peter K
Onono, Perez A
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Society For Science and Education
Abstract
This study investigated the coping mechanisms that were adopted by girls and
women to mitigate the impacts of income loss due to COVID-19 pandemic. A mixed
methods approach involving use of desk review, cross-sectional survey, key
informant interviews and focus group discussions was employed. A logit regression
model was estimated using data collected from 402 randomly selected households
from Kibra, Mathare, Obunga and Nyawita informal settlements. Most households
in the informal settlements lost employment and incomes during the pandemic
leading to increased food insecurity. Girls and women bore a disproportionate
share of the burden of employment and income loss and could not access basic
necessities including food and house rent, suffered increased sexual harassment,
exploitation and abuse, and experienced increase in conflicts within households. To
mitigate the impacts of income loss, households reduced food intake or skipped
meals, made use of social support systems, begged from well-wishers. Use of risky
and negative coping mechanisms including early and forced marriage, as well as
transactional sex increased among adolescent girls, and young and older women.
The study recommends design and implementation of business and non-business
development services to engage women entrepreneurs in more stable income
generating activities for enhanced post COVID-19 recovery. Further, County
government departments for gender, youth and cultural services, and community
and faith-based organizations should undertake more sensitization programmes in
the informal settlements to influence attitudes of girls and young women on early
marriage and transactional sex. Government-based social protection programmes
for the vulnerable households should be made more open and transparent, free
from harm, manipulations and abuse. Beneficiary targeting of such programmes
should also be based on the differential vulnerabilities of households in each
location. Early response of the government and other institutions to cushion
Description
Article
Keywords
COVID-19, household vulnerability, loss of income, risky, negative coping mechanisms
Citation
Kosimbei, G. K., Omolo, J. O., Rono, G. J., Musyoka, P. K., & Onono, P. A. (2023). Coping Mechanisms to Income Loss by Girls and Women During COVID-19: Evidence from Selected Informal Settlements in Kenya. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(2). 447-464.