Women in the Informal Sector and Poverty Reduction in Morocco

Souad Belhorma

Women in the Informal
Sector and Poverty
Reduction in Morocco

The city of Fez as a case study

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ISSN 1662-1212

ISBN 978-1-78997-158-3 (print) • ISBN 978-1-78997-159-0 (ePDF)

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About the book

The book is an intellectual and political response to Thomas Sankara’s challenge to the African people to dare to invent their own future, an echo of Patrice Lumumba’s call for them to write their own history. Exploring the history of Africa’s underdevelopment and the short-circuiting of the Pan-African movement, it argues for the revival of Pan-Africanism as a force for change and calls for a worthy successor to the Fifth Pan-African Congress.

As a background to this argument and call, the book revisits Pan-Africanism’s history and founding ideals and conducts ruthless forensic examinations of the de facto Bantustanization of much of Africa and parts of the Caribbean, the ‘alternative development’ fiascos of the late twentieth century, the contemporary ‘globalization’ and ‘democratization’ of African projects by imperialist interests, the ‘Pan-Africanisms’ of imperialism’s active collaborators and other obstructions to the decolonization of Africa and African development.

Finally, recognizing that the plights of many Afro-Latinos, Afro-Indians, Afro-Arabs and other ‘lost’ or neglected ‘tribes of Africa’ – as well as those of the victims of ‘black-empowered’ predators – call out for urgent Pan-Africanist responses, the book contains numerous start-up project ideas for action-oriented Pan-Africanists.

After a stint in academic research at the Encyclopedia Africana Secretariat in Accra, Ghana, Tony Obeng moved into development research, with appointments at the African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development in Tangier, Morocco and the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex (1970–1972). This was followed by a teaching and research position at the United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning in Dakar, Senegal, under Samir Amin. He transferred to the Food and Agriculture Organization in 1980 as its focal point on policy and technical coordination with the Organization of African Unity, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa and other intergovernmental organizations. His post-retirement activities include contributions to development conferences and seminars and to the book Towards Africa’s Renewal (2007), for which he wrote the chapter ‘Vassal States, Development Options and African Development’. His current developmental affiliations include the Third World Forum, the World Forum for Alternatives and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa.

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Contents

List of Figures

List of Tables

Preface

Acknowledgments

List of Abbreviations

Introduction

Chapter 1

Theoretical and Conceptual Framework

Chapter 2

Methodology

Chapter 3

Women and Self-employment in the City of Fez

Chapter 4

The Contribution of Women’s Self-employment in the City of Fez to Poverty Reduction←vii | viii→

Chapter 5

Women’s Self-employment and Emancipation

Chapter 6

Difficulties and Perspectives of Women’s Self-employment

Conclusion and Recommendations

Bibliography

Index

Appendix←viii | ix→

Figures

Figure 1. An own-account Henna Maker.

Figure 2. A woman doing Terz Al Gherza.

Figure 3. A woman doing Terz Al-Rebatti.

Figure 4. A woman sewing a traditional Jellaba.

Figure 5. A mâalma showing the process of making a Majdoul.

Figure 6. A woman showing a young lady the techniques of embroidery.

Figure 7. A hairdresser and cosmetologist.

Figure 8. A carpet maker.

Figure 9. An own-account seamstress.

Figure 10. A young lady doing embroidery in a corner of the salon.

Figure 11. A seamstress working in a rented workplace.

Figure 12. An old woman selling clothes in an open air area in Fez.

Figure 13. A woman doing Takerir.←ix | x→ ←x | xi→

Tables

Table 1. Increase of the Population of Morocco by Period and Place of Residence: 1960–2020

Table 2. Age Categorization

Table 3. Women’s Marital Status

Table 4. Women’s Places of Birth

Table 5. Women’s Educational Level

Table 6. Presence of Children

Table 7. Women with Vocational Training

Table 8. Types of Vocational Training

Table 9. Type of Residence

Table 10. Nature of Residence

Table 11. Nature of Activities

Table 12. Nature of Activity Ownership

Table 13. Types of Women’s Activities

Table 14. Types of Sectors of Work

Table 15. Women’s Employment Status

Table 16. Place of Work

Table 17. Size of the Unit of Production