Author: Fathimath Yumna
AIT Library Call Number: AIT Thesis no.GD-04-01
Year: 2004
Academic Program: Gender and Development Studies (GDS)
Type: Thesis (M.Sc.) – Asian Institute of Technology, 2004
Examination Committee: Kyoko Kusakabe (Chairperson); Bernadette P. Resurreccion, Jayant Kumar Routray (Examination Committee Members)
Abstract: Women’s mobility is a recent issue that is been discussed in various institutions. However, women and mobility in the small island nations is a very new issue especially in the Maldives. This study compares issues related to women and mobility in two islands of the Maldives namely Kunahandhoo and Maabaidhoo. Data for this research study was collected from both secondary and primary sources being the government authorities and the field respectively. An exploratory study with descriptive analysis was followed throughout this research. In both the islands, women are more mobile than men since men have a fixed occupation fishing so women are left to bore the burden of reproductive, productive and community role. In addition to this information from the in-depth interviews, it showed that in there is a link of the mobility of the women who were interviewed and their self-esteem and the overall gender relations in the household. In Kunahandhoo, lack of proper infrastructure such as transpo1tation hinder their access to information about marketing opportunities for their products, collective bargaining with their buyers, limited access to the basic information on the support provided by the government, credit loans and other significant needs to enhance their livelihoods. Likewise, educational fac ilities are the basic foundation for their knowledge and the mothers who were deprived of education try their best to impart education for their c hildren by sending them to schools in other islands because the education system in that island is weak. Absence of a health center forces the women to travel to other islands that is costly, time consuming and a burden for the sick person as well. On the other hand, in an island like Maabaidhoo, since the infrastructure is more developed in comparison to Kunahandhoo, men and women have benefited a lot from it and such steps from the government have left the people satisfied.
Scholarship Donor(s): Asian Institute of Technology Fellowship
Note: A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science, School of Environment, Resources and Development
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