The Welfare State, Social Protection Gaps and Opportunities for Elderly People in Post-2000 Resettlements of Zimbabwe

This paper studies the impact of government social protection policy on elderly women-headed households (EW-HH) in rural Zimbabwe. Government-financed social protection is universally a right, and necessary for the poor and vulnerable to ensure their sustainable and resilient livelihoods. Using Welfare State Theory, a mixed-method study of EW-HH sought to assess the impact of Zimbabwe government's social protection programmes, its challenges and opportunities. Zimbabwe's public social protection is fragmented at policy and implementation levels. Its challenges include limited coverage, not addressing needs, inconsistent support, not developing household resilience and inadequate social services infrastructure. More robust policy and programmes are needed to address multiple elderly vulnerabilities, and to build long-lasting resilience among EW-HH to meet the basic social security needs of the poor in Zimbabwe.