Women employees in the informal sector Kampala, Uganda

The study critically investigates the working conditions of women employees in the informal sector by examining the nature of the employee-employer relationships. The study also explores the various factors responsible for the existing nature of the employee-employer relationship. The study specifically investigates how such factors as kinship relations, age, education levels, position in household and family sizes affect the working conditions and terms of service of the women employees. At the micro-level the study examines how the existing social system of extended families bears on the working conditions of the women employees. At the micro-level the study examines how the existing social system of extended families bears on the working conditions of the women employees. The study is carried out against the backdrop of the existing economic crises. The analysis also explores the linkages between the different economic activities in Owino market, indicating how they influenced each other . The study focuses on the catering activity in Owino market in Kampala. This economic activity is at the bottom of the informal sector spectrum which some researchers have termed the '' community of the poor'' (ECA/ATRCW/88). The key respondents included women employees, employers and government officials in Owino Market represented by the Market Officials, Resistance Council Officials and Kampala City Council Officials. Data was collected mainly through unstructured interviews, in-depth interviews with key respondents and the observation method. Additional data was collected from secondary sources like textbooks and newspapers. The study has successfully investigated the working conditions of the women employees in the catering activity. Such factors as age, martial status, education levels, the social system of extended families and the government attitude towards the informal sector have been discovered to be the major factors influencing he employees' conditions of work.