Economic Effects of Drought within Family Settings : The Case of Masvingo, Zimbabwe (From 2000 To 2016)

Drought has affected the livelihoods of men and women differently. Zimbabwe is a country which is highly productive in agriculture. Drought in this country has worsened the situation which is already negatively affected by economic instability. This study therefore sought to probe how drought affects men and women differently and also examined the views, understanding, beliefs and practices of women with regard to the effects of drought and how they cope in this regard. The study was qualitative in design. A total of 24 participants (men and women) staying Shashe village were interviewed. The participants were selected purposively. The study embarked on semi structured inteviews and also focus group discussions. The findings of the study are that there are paradigm shifts in terms of gender relations with regard to drought in many villages, townships and cities. Furthermore, cultural patterns embedded in patriarchal relationships are not helpful to women when there is a concerted effort to fight against this particular scourge. In most cases, when livelihoods are destroyed and productive assets are eroded, men tend to migrate in search of incomegenerating opportunities.