REASONS ON WHY WOMEN WORK AT QUARY MINES – JOB ACTIVITIES

The table  above sought to find out if there are reasons behind women getting involved in a  particular job activities at the quarry mine sites. The responses gotten show that 95 respondents responded in the affirmative that , ‘yes’  women have reasons why they participate in a particular job activities showing  7.6 percent out of the total number that responded. The other number of 1141 of 90.9 percent stated that women do not have any reason why they involve themselves in a particular job activity at the mine pits.

Question two on the in-depth interview for men and women quarry miners sought to know to what extent  women are employed in the quarry Mine pits .  The responses revealed that the majority of  the women employed in the mines carry out various             tasks, especially the ones they could do. The major areas they dominate in working include; clearing, loading and packaging. This question appeared in the             question 9 of   the questionnaire item and showed that majority of the women get involved in packaging, loading, breaking clearing, but few who could do other work like digging and blasting, although they do it but they are very minimal in that area. 

On why these women are involved in any particular job activity at the mines. 

This was a follow up question which the respondents who answered ‘Yes’ were expected to state reasons on why these women engage in particular work activity. Those who ticked ‘yes’ gave a major reason on why women do the particular jobs that they do, which is that the particular job activities they perform is believed to be very safe for them as they are not as  strong as the men who  equally work at the mines. In reconsidering the number mine (9) question on the item, women were identified with the particular or specific jobs they perform at the quarry mine sites. 

The women were found to be involved mainly in loading (1206 respondents of 26.1%), packaging (1124 of 24.4%), Clearing (807 of 17.5%), breaking (797 of 17.3%). These women also from the responses gotten minimally get involved in digging with 357 responses of 7.7%, while in blasting we have 325 responses with 7% of the entire responses gotten.

           

In effect, some of the leading responses gotten stated in question no. 10 that the job activities women perform which involve majority of them are quite easy and safe for them as women do the ones they could perform.

Table 8

Responses on whether women hold managerial or supervisory positions

Field survey   2011

The table on whether women are managers, out of the 1132 respondents, women had 772 or 68.2 percent, from the three senatorial zones , while men had 360 or 31.8 percent, and on the ‘no’ women were higher , 99 or 80.5 percent and men 24 or 19.5 percent for those who answered in that column. 

General summary on whether women hold managerial position in the quarry mines of Ebonyi state.

Field survey  2011.

The general figure show that women do hold managerial positions with 1132 responding in the affirmative, out of the total number of 1255.  Table above represents the responses on whether women in any form participate as managers or supervisors at the quarry mines compared to their male counterparts. The response rate of 1132 of 90.2 percent indicates clearly here that women are managers and supervisors, with a minimal number of 123 of 9.8 percent out of 1255 indicating that women do not participate as managers and supervisors. The result with 90.2 percent is indicative of the fact that women do not only work  as manual hands, but are also involved as managers and supervisors.

 Follow up on whether women equally work as managers and supervisors.

The follow up question number 13 required that those who responded affirmatively should give reason(s) on why women also work as managers and supervisors. This was to disprove the assertion that women possibly only work as manual hands at the quarry mines. The responses given to this question show that  women equally work as managers and supervisors. The interviews conducted on the selected workers revealed that (yes) there are  women who manage the individual pits. There are also those (women) who own and manage their own quarry mines, but majority of them are residents at the cities and most also are not indigenes of those areas studied, as some have their own individual based quarry m
ine pits and are contractors who supply these stones to prospective customers.  The interview conducted for the male and female quarry miners revealed that women who hold managerial and supervisory positions are either those who are related to the mine owners or are employed female hands who usually come with them from the cities and not women from the rural areas. The case made is that women from the local areas are not skilled as to hold such positions and are mostly required as contract hands.