WINDHOEK – The face of the construction sector – mainly dominated by men – is changing as more women are joining the trade not necessarily because they want to do backbreaking work but in order to put bread on the table for their families.
Dressed in overalls and safety gear, it is almost impossible to distinguish the women from the men, as they literally do the same work as the men – with so much ease.
New Era yesterday visited a construction site at the intersection of Tauno Hatuiikulipi and Omuvapu streets in Babylon informal settlement where a clinic is being built.
There, it is difficult to distinguish the men from the women, as women just like their male counterparts were hard at work pushing wheelbarrows, digging trenches, mixing concrete and other forms of energy-sapping labour.
It is only on closer inspection that women are distinguishable from men.
“Where am I supposed to work if every-
where I go I am told there is no work? They even paste papers written ‘no work’,” 29-year old Martha Iipinge, who hails from Otamanzi village in the Omusati Region, says.
She says her childhood dream was to become a teacher. But that dream was just a dream because now all the mother of two thinks of is putting bread on the table for her family.
Iipinge adds that she is saving some of the money she earns from doing handy work at the site to enrol for a computer course.
“Maybe with a computer certificate I will be able to work as a cashier in a shop,” she says with a glint of hope in her eyes.
Iipinge’s job description includes pushing bricks and mud in a wheelbarrow. “It’s very easy. I came to Windhoek from the north to come and look for work. I do not have a choice,” adds Iipinge undeterred by her circumstances. In fact, she considers herself privileged that she is working.
“I am thankful to the owner of this construction company for giving us this opportunity to work because most of us were just at home unemployed,” she says. Iipinge says the men are very supportive and they do not undermine or mock them.
“The workload is not bad because if it was only women working here, the workload would have been too much,” says Iipinge, noting that the men are protective of the women.
“We do the same work as the men. Whatever they do we can also do,” a bubbly Lahja Amukwaya interrupts.
Amukwaya, who is 41 years old, adds that her body has become used to doing “heavy” work and even when she gets home she is not very tired and can attend to the chores at home.
“There is nothing wrong with doing construction work and we are happy,” Amukwaya, who hails from Ongozi village in the Omusati Region, says further.
She adds that her husband does not mind that she has to do work that is regarded by many as a male trade.
“We have to work hard in order to develop our country,” Amukwaya says.
Meanwhile, 28-year-old Rauna Kawaya says she was compelled to join the construction industry because she did not have a job. Kawaya, who previously worked as a domestic worker, also does not have a problem doing the work she does. “I can’t say it’s difficult. It’s ok,” Kawaya says. Kawaya does not have children. But, she regularly sends money to her unemployed parents and siblings who are in school.
The Grade 10 dropout says she always dreamt of becoming a cashier and she is still pursuing that dream. “I want to learn how to use the computer so that I can apply for work even as a teller in a shop. When I was a child that is the only thing I dreamt of becoming even if some people will regard it as bad,” Kawaya says.
Her job is to remove sand with a spade where the men are digging trenches, she says. “I don’t know how to build so all I do is help the men with removing sand when they are digging trenches,” Kawaya added.
Unlike Iipinge and Amukwaya, Kawaya says her body is still getting used to the “heavy” workload. “When I get home I am very tired,” she says.
The women who work on a contractual basis earn N$9.50 per hour for nine-hour shifts. The women are content with their salary.
“It’s ok,” they say. Fortunately, they do not need to take a taxi to work, they add, as their houses are a walking distance from the construction site.
A site foreman, who refuses to be named, says with gender equality there is no job that is a men’s preserve. “We even have a woman who is a bricklayer here,” he says. The foreman adds that there are female engineers and architects out there and what matters is just whether the women can do the job.
“When a woman comes here looking for a job we interview her to assess if she can do the job and then we give her a chance,” he says.
In most cases, the women have proven that they are capable, the foreman says.
“We have not had any problems with the women’s performance at the site,” says the foreman.