Groundbreaking Photovoice project unveils struggles of low-income women in Cape Town
Cape Town, South Africa | The University of Cape Town's pioneering photovoice project, initiated as a Grand Challenges Pilot in January 2023, is set to debut at the Motherload Exhibition in Community House, Salt River, Cape Town on November 27. Named for its utilisation of a feminist decolonial methodology, the project aims to amplify the voices of low-income women through participatory action research, addressing the prevailing middle-class bias in policy responses.
A collaborative endeavor between the University of Cape Town, the Health Systems Research Unit at the South African Medical Research Council, the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Flourish (Grow Great Campaign) - a women's rights organisation, and the Western Cape Government, the project's primary objective is to recognise the intersecting vulnerabilities of low-income mothers. It seeks to forge sustainable policy solutions to enhance their quality of life.
Employing the photovoice method, this initiative sheds light on the day-to-day realities, challenges, and requirements of low-income women. It underscores their disproportionately heavy care burdens stemming from multiple layers of labor-intensive motherhood, all without adequate resources, visibility, or support.
Dr. Wanga Zembe-Mkabile, Senior Specialist Scientist at the SAMRC’s Health Systems Research Unit, comments: "We engaged with low-income mothers across Cape Town to gather insights into their lived experiences. Through their photographic narratives, we uncovered the extensive, often overlooked care responsibilities stemming from their living conditions and the complex intersections of their social class, gender, and race."
The exhibition promises a candid portrayal of the struggles, strengths, and unmet needs faced by these women, offering a platform for their narratives to drive actionable change. As the unveiling date approaches, anticipation grows for the unveiling of this innovative project that aims to transform policy perspectives and improve the lives of marginalised women in Cape Town.The mostly unseen care burden was termed the ‘motherload’. This encompasses instrumental care (including handwashing clothes, cooking with limited supplies), psychological care (like hypervigilance to protect children from violence), emotional care (including trying to keep stability in unpredictable circumstances), and cognitive care (for example, remembering everything).
The narratives clearly show failures of care at many levels, including reproductive and obstetric violence, and the lack of postpartum mental health support in the health system. The participants also raised other issues including fear of revealing teenage pregnancy, abandonment by partners and fathers, workplace policies disregarding care commitments, and stigma associated with food insecurity.
The public exhibition is on 27 November from 10h00 to 16h00 at Community House, Salt River. Admission is free of charge. On 25 and 28 November there will be private exhibitions where the mothers will engage with key stakeholders.
The project team includes Prof Ameeta Jaga (UCT), Prof Fiona Ross (UCT), Prof Jane Battersby (UCT), Dr Wanga Zembe-Mkabile (SAMRC) and, Prof Yanga Zembe (University of KwaZulu Natal/SAMRC).
For further information:
- Ameeta Jaga
Photovoice project: Principal Investigator
Email: Ameeta.jaga@uct.ac.za
- Ms Yolanda Phakela
SAMRC: Public Relations Manager
Email: Yolanda.Phakela@mrc.ac.za
Mobile: 073 801 3691