Effect of Rural Women's Workload on Care Practices and Children's Growth

Abstract

The authors studied various work activities of rural women and their effects on care practices and the growth of their children. Weight for height (wasting) and height for age (stunting) were used as indicators of the growth of children and the results were compared with National Centre for Health Statistics (NCHS) recommended standards. The findings show that rural women have a heavy workload, working an average of 13 hours per day. This affects the time available for childcare, which is a major factor affecting the growth of children. The findings also show that there will be corresponding decreases in children's growth, by 24.5%, 54.8% and 24.1%, as workload increases in cropping, animal husbandry and offfarm activities respectively. The mean age of the children was 29 months and the parameters for growth indicate that the majority had mild to moderate malnutrition. The results also establish a significant relationship between women's workload and care practices offered on the one hand and growth of children and mothers' care practices on the other. Given adequate moral and financial support, women will contribute significantly more to agricultural development in Nigeria. Also, if enough labour-saving machines are made available, the hours spent in on-farm and off-farm activities can be reduced and women will have more time to care for their children.

Keywords

rural women women's workload care practices children's growth

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