Description
Book SynopsisWinner of the Aidoo-Snyder Prize.This groundbreaking book by two leading scholars offers a complete historical picture of women and their work in Uganda, tracing developments from pre-colonial times to the present and into the future. Setting women's economic activities into a broader political, social, and cultural context, it provides the first general account of women's experiences amidst the changes that shaped the country. Prior to the 1970s, relatively few Ugandan women broughtin their own income, despite producing most of the food and craftwork that was taken to local markets. Educational expansion in the 1950s and 1960s were years of gradual evolution for women and their work, with many employed as lower level teachers or nurses. Since the 1970s, there have been a number of dramatic changes which have led to many more women earning their own income: high mortality of men from conflict and HIV/AIDS, increased migration of women into urban areas, the collapse of the state-controlled economy and the emergence of a
magendo economy, the development of a free market economy within a system of global capitalism, deepening poverty through Structural Adjustment Programmes, and the expansion of women's roles in many areas. This book traces the origins of the current situation, highlighting the challenges working women now face, and recommending strategies that will improve their circumstances in the future. North America: Ohio U Press; Uganda: Fountain Publishers
Trade ReviewImportant for anyone seeking to understand women's history in Uganda. ... A richly documented work with a provocative central structure that offers an alternative to seeing the history of Uganda's women through simplistic narratives of either progress towards rights and equity or tragic loss of 'traditional' forms of respect. * JOURNAL OF SOCIAL HISTORY *
Those involved in development work involving gender in Uganda will find this book very useful. * AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW *
Table of ContentsI INTRODUCTION; Introduction; Uganda: its districts & people; II THE GENERATIONS OF GRADUAL CHANGE, 1900-71; The early colonial world, 1900-39; Women's issues & the domestic virtue model; The late colonial period, 1940-62; The early independence years, 1962-71; III RADICAL TRANSFORMATIONS FOR UGANDA & ITS WOMEN, 1971-2003; The Amin/Obote II period, 1971-86; The broader developments for women during the NRM period, 1986-2003; Work & gender issues in the NRM years; Women & work in 2003: assessment & recommendations.
