Eleventh Global Studies Conference

Abstract

Elders in rural Uganda, and in particular elderly women, endure poor and vulnerable living conditions. In an extreme adverse context characterized by amongst others extreme poverty and the absence of government policies, collective action is seen as an opportunity to enhance well-being in ways that neither the state nor markets provide for. However, research in Sub-Saharan Africa has seldom looked into how double burden factors such as age and gender affect the capabilities, opportunities and participation of elderly women in households and the public sphere. Hence, this study asks in what way and why elderly women engage in collective action. It explores implications for their capabilities to shape their lives and participate in their local communities. Fieldwork was carried out in Southeast Uganda from August 2017 till November 2017, employing qualitative research methods including in-depth interviews with elderly women, husbands and local political leaders; focus groups and participatory observation. This study finds that, first, being involved in a group allows elderly women to cooperatively engage in a series of activities that provide coping mechanisms for most pressing needs. These mechanisms subsequently increase individual livelihood security and fill a gap in household support not provided by governmental institutions. Second, this study reveals that, over time, women involved in collective action have become aware of the need to improve their precarious living conditions by demanding structural change from the Ugandan government. Therefore elderly women are using collective action to influence local institutions and the Ugandan government’s position towards elders. From these findings, this research concludes that collective action provides a pathway for elderly women to have their voices heard and to exercise influence on local institutions. That said, due to the scalar limitations of their cooperative efforts, which are reinforced by an extreme adverse context, their impact on the recognition of the human rights of the elders remains limited. The findings note the need to develop policies and social interventions that better support elderly women in their claims to social and political citizenship.