Gender and sexual division of labour in rural Guinea

Aurélie Godard, Université de Paris V, Sorbonne
Veronique Petit, Université de Paris V, Sorbonne

This paper presents the results of an anthropo-demographic research in rural Guinea. Its main purpose was to estimate the level of poverty and to identify the population responses. One of the major lack in this poverty context is money which is necessary to pay taxes, health and education. To support their household, women have developed commercial activities. They sell transformed agricultural products and other small-scale production. These activities depends on their life-cycle. They could be seen as a way to achieve independence. Since land, and other raw materials are owned by men, women depend on the activities of men, especially on the activities of their husband. They can not transform agricultural products until men have gathered them. Sexual division of labour thus confirms women dependence, all the more because their income is too small to insure their economic independence.