The spread of the cash economy is definitely showing in many countries. Cash economy is becoming widely increases and this is an incredible factor for people around the world, because the cash economy are helping people who are in need of money to survive. Cash economy is defined as people migrating to cities to work and able to obtain money through work and more women are being able to obtain a job. In this essay I will be talking about the development of the cash economy and the necessity of wage labour on the division of labour in the family among women, men, and children.
Throughout the essay I will use examples from Women in Andes, Women and men, Power and Powerlessness in Lesotho, and Women and Migration in Contemporary West Africa. Women in Andes It is true that a lot of countries around the world are having major issues with poverty. As stated in the article Women in Andes "Poverty had become more of a burden because the family had only limited access to agricultural lands, because she had no close relatives in Chiuchin or the higher agricultural towns, and because her husband a traveling merchant.Contributed only irregularly to the family's finances" (Bourque and Warrren, p. 91) the reason why there is poverty because of not enough agricultural land, but also because of the fertility rate. People are having to many children and not enough resources for the children.
However men leave to go to work in the cities such as the developing cash economy women will be less fertile all the time.The effect of the cash economy is forcing women to take on more responsibility which Bourque and Warren said " both men and women may agree that women should have special responsibilities in the home and a degree of authority over those areas in which they are solely responsible, yet this level of specialization and responsibility is never intended to challenge male authority" (Bourque and Warren, p. 104). Nevertheless the cash economy provides families with better opportunity to earn cash Bourque and Warren said "women have little success in denying their husbands money, even when they fear that earnings will be squandered.A substantial part of family cash resources is lost to liquor consumption" (Bourque and Warren, p. 107) spending money on alcohol becomes a problem with having money to spend.
When there is alcohol related to men that is a problem, Bourque and Warren states that " a second economic consequence of drunkenness is the loss of male labour force participation as a result of alcoholism" (Bourque and Warren, p. 107) this is due to the cash economy providing the wage to the men workers.Wage labour is of course a major factor when men are working they are to get paid. So the man's job is to work at their daily job.
Women and Men, Power and Powerlessness in Lesotho In Mueller study we will see the effectives of the cash economy. The cash economy provides men with work away from home as Muller says " Basotho men between the ages of eighteen and forty-five spend twelve to twenty-four months at a time working in the mines of South Africa, thereby leaving villages with a substantial numerical predominance of women" (Mueller, p. 55).When the men are earning money from the cash economy the wives at home get some of the money, as Mueller states that "and it is the combination of large-scale migration, with the upward spiral in mine wages, the increasing inability of Lesotho to support herself agriculturally, and the authoritarian and potentially explosive political situation in Lesotho which depletes village life of vitality and valuable resources" (Mueller, p.
156) which shows that the effect of the cash economy provides women with agriculture.Agriculture is an important part of a women effect of the cash economy Mueller says that " in terms of time spent and energy consumed, however, women are the primary cultivators and, aside from child care and domestic maintenance, spend most of their time in agricultural activity, which brings them into constant and necessary contact with other villagers" (Mueller, p. 157). However, women are helping the cash economy as Muller says "women often sell fruit and vegetables from the gardens around their homes or raise and sell pigs and chickens.
They also brew and sell beer or sell handicrafts. Occasionally they are able to sell some small portion of their crops" (Mueller, p. 161) they are making money, which is increasing the cash economy, but also is part of their wage labour. Another effect of the cash economy is that women become more authoritative as economy as Mueller states " women are elected for offices according to the same criteria as men" (Mueller, p. 160) women are becoming a major part in the village where they live in.As part of the women wage labour the women are making some money to be able to use, As part of the wage labour comes there duty of agriculture Muller states that "the money each woman earns from selling the vegetables for her plot is primarily used for small, daily necessities" (Mueller, p.
158) are to help out the family to provide more for the children and the home. Another part of the necessity of wage labour provides women with more duties to their role Muller said, " In the first case, it is her responsibility to provide a small-scale fest, for which she must have enough extra money or food (Mueller, p. 57).Children don't really have a necessity for wage labour because they are children.
The children's duty it helps out around the house and that is their division of labour. Women and Migration in Contemporary West Africa Sudarkasa studies show how women are becoming involved in the cash economy. Sudarkasa states that "because they do not have the formal educational qualifications required for the types of wage employment open to women, many female rural-urban migrants have had to enter market trade or similar occupations (Sudarkasa, p. 83) showing women are becoming part of the cash economy and not only are they becoming less responsible for household activities.
The effect of the cash economy is changing women as Sudarkasa said "less than half (43 percent) of the adult Hausa women in Ghana in 1960 were recorded as being employed. Of those who were, 86 percent were traders and another 13 percent were self-employed in other occupations (Sudarkasa, p. 182). Due to the cash economy women are becoming independent and more reliable of themselves than relying on men.
As many women are getting hobs due to the cash economy more women want to finish school and get a better job. Sudarkasa states that "more and more of these young women regard themselves as overqualified academically and underqualified experientially for the types of work that women do in the rural areas" (Sudarkasa, p. 185). The necessity of wage labour becomes a very important part of women division of labour because of there jobs in the urban areas.
Men wage labour is still a necessity for them to provide for the household. Due to more work there are less children to be born and less burden on children to help out in the family.In conclusion we can see that these three articles have similar ideas about the effect of the cash economy and the necessity for wage labour. We can say that the studies help us see how the cash economy are becoming more widely adapted in many countries to help people in need and help the countries become a better place. More of the women are taking on the responsibility of men and filling in the roles of men as the men are working in the cash economy. The division of wage labour is obviously a necessity to the family because it provides a source of living and earning to help families who are in need.
