Having a job is one thing. Job security is another. But readiness to face the aftermath of job loss is essential.
Anyone can be devastated after losing a job, more so if it is unexpected. Low-skilled persons, particularly women in rural areas, are faced with grave problems when they lose their jobs. With the gender dynamics shifting, more rural women are burdened with the responsibility of providing for their families. Gone are the days when men were their families’ breadwinners. Now women have no option but to engage in any activity that will generate an income or provide food for their dependents.
Companies are downsizing while others are collapsing. While some prepare their employees for tough times ahead, most do not. Low-skilled women, who mostly work in low-grade jobs, suffer the most as they are not prepared to hop on the next train and start a new chapter with little hassle.
Their salaries may not allow them to save for emergencies. Being the breadwinners, their meagre weekly or monthly wages all go to footing the bills. At the point of retrenchment, such women have nothing to take home. In most cases, their job arrangements do not qualify them to any retrenchment package.
I am drawing my generalisations from my interactions with women in Kamere, Naivasha, who were once employed by flower companies. I interviewed these women for my online platform called Women Narrate. Out of the 11 women I interviewed, seven were victims of the employing company collapsing or downsizing. Their response to whether they were prepared for such an eventuality was ‘no’.
Some of them had worked for the flower companies for more than 10 years. They had reached a point of comfort such that they could not even imagine losing their jobs. While each of the women I talked to is involved in a small income-generating activity, they all experienced frustrations between the time they lost their jobs and when they started their businesses.
One woman became a domestic helper. This demonstrates how losing a job can be daunting, especially among single mothers and widows. A number of my respondents said they did not want to go back home. Some were buying time with their small businesses hoping that a new flower company will be established and they can get employed again.
Reality sinks in when the low-skilled women realise that they may not get employed any time soon. That this is a nation where employers go for academic qualifications over hands-on experience, even for jobs that need no papers, is discouraging.
The transition period between job loss and taking up a new role or a business is crucial. It is a point where most victims give up on life.
It is vital for employers to prepare their staff for such eventualities. Establishing workers’ savings schemes and encouraging workers to save a certain percentage of their salaries every month will go a long way in reducing frustration and depression when one loses their job. Building their capacities is fundamental. I am talking of women whose highest level of academics is primary school. These are women with no formal training.
I think this is a chance for the women representatives to initiate tailor-made empowerment forums on the social, economic and political spectra.
Environment scientist and founder of Womennarrate.com