Women's Work

It is often quoted that women do two thirds of the world’s work, and that seems to be true in The Gambia. It seems like the women are constantly working; sweeping, cooking, ironing, farming (often providing food for the entire family from small patches of land which have been allocated to them by men – typically the worst pieces of land far from their homes – but that’s another story), tending to the children, selling on the roadside or in markets, taking up formal employment... The list is endless.  Without wishing to generalise, it’s hard to shake the feeling that while these women are working themselves to the bone, many of the men aren’t doing much at all except maybe sitting under the shade of a tree drinking tea. (This is couched as ‘making important decisions’ or ‘having important discussions’.) Don’t get me wrong, some men are very hard working, just as I am sure some women are quite lazy, but one certainly gets a sense that it is the female of the species that is pulling the bulk of the weight in this country.

So I found it particularly refreshing to meet with a group of students, lecturers and managers from Gambia Technical Training Institute (GTTI) last week – males and females – who are all working hard to improve their positions and support those around them.

Samba, Ebou and I ran two focus groups with the hope of hearing some juicy stories to give texture to our Annual Country Review due for submission later this month. VSO have been working with GTTI as part of the Education and TVET programme – looking at how to encourage men and women into technical and vocational education to provide some of the skills and opportunities needed to be economically independent. At GTTI, VSO have supported a pilot HND programme in mechanical engineering, which not only provides higher education opportunities for young people, but upgrades the technical knowledge of the GTTI lecturers who are also taking the qualification. It is hoped that the lecturers will go on to provide better classes to students for years to come, boosting the technical expertise within the country.

While doing the focus groups I was struck by two things. Firstly, when I say they were all ‘working hard’, I was surprised by the number of people holding down demanding paid jobs as well as studying. Many were teachers in senior secondary schools, or engineers at the electricity company or the brewery. While some were doing the HND to improve their own positions and chances of promotion, many were doing it to inspire others and to be able to pass on better skills – not just those who were already lecturers at GTTI, but those who were teachers or team leaders who wanted to pass on their new knowledge to those they work with. And yet, despite this commitment to learning and improvement, nearly all of them mentioned the negative perceptions that trade people or skilled technical workers face – citing that they were seen as stupid or uneducated because they chose to work in engineering, dressed in overalls rather than ‘sharp suits and office clothes’.

Secondly, I was interested to hear how the women taking the course are perceived as a result of their interest in mechanical engineering. Nearly all of the female participants said their communities and families were surprised by their choice, and some of them were actively dissuaded from doing the subject. They were criticised for how they dressed to come to work, and presumably for not taking more feminine roles.

So, in a country where gender roles are quite defined, why did they choose to take a career path that is considered to be for men? Some of the women said they chose a technical subject area because it gave them a better opportunity to be self-employed. One participant explained;

‘When I was at Senior Secondary School I didn’t see women doing technical work. At first I wanted to be a banker but I decided to do technical work because it would allow me to become self-employed if I couldn’t find paid employment. I thought this would give me a better chance for my future. People used to stare at me when I worked in the garage and I used to feel ashamed, but now I get support and I have more confidence.’

Other participants said that they chose the subject because they wanted to be a role model for future generations of young women, and already they had seen changes. For example, one lady – as well as doing the HND in mechanical engineering – teaches technical drawing and metal work at a senior secondary school. Since she started the class she has seen an increase in the number of female students taking metal work. She has been encouraging girls to take up practical skills as well as academic study, and said, ‘I like the fact that I know academic theory and have practical experience as well.’ A joke was made that if the air conditioner in the room broke down not only would she understand why, but she would be able to fix it.

The whole group were passionate and articulate when explaining their motivations for pursuing the HND, and while I wholeheartedly support those who are doing it to advance their careers, I’m particularly impressed by those who are actively trying to inspire others – despite the negative attitudes faced by males and females alike – especially those who are trying to encourage more women into technical subjects. By the end of the session I think Ebou, Samba and I were all tempted to sign up for an HND in mechanical engineering!  

Happy participants