Women and family in a salutogenic perspective

Torill Bull, Maurice Mittelmark, & Ngasuma Kanyeka

• Production

• Reproduction

• Combination of production and reproduction

• Relationships

• Culture

The Bole district of Northern Region

Poverty

Patriarchy

Wellswept ground

Workload of women

Workload of women - firewood

Poor – but playing

LIFE STRESSORS1.Nature as a Threat 2.Lack of Infrastructure3.Food insecurity4.Illness and death5.Work overload6.Culture and religion as a threat

GRRs1.Health 2.Key item ownership3.Skills 4.Wisdom5.Being married6.Marital relationship quality 7.Motherhood 8.Supportive neighbours9.Empowering group memberships10.Culture and religion as meaning /joy11.Political agency12.Women-friendly local leaders

MOVEMENTTOWARDS

WELL-BEING

SENSE OF COHERENCE

1.COMPREHENSIBILITY

2.MANAGEABILITY

3.MEANINGFULNESS

Bull, T., Mittelmark, MB, and Kanyeka, N. (2012). ‘Assets for health and well-being of women in impoverished rural areas of the Global South.’ Research paper commissioned for special issue of Critical Public Health as a follow-up from the conference Assets for health and wellbeing across the life course. Accepted pending minor revisions.

LIFE EXPERIENCES

1. DEGREES OFCONSISTENCY

2. UNDERLOAD-

OVERLOAD BALANCE

3. PARTICIPATION

LIFE SITUATION

Wider determinants of health including genetic, social, cultural and contextual factors

(eg. geography, climate)

• Practical aspects

• Emotional aspects

3. Considerate husband behaviour

Considerate husband behaviour:Practical aspects

“Some men are helpful. He can come up with some work and say let us both join hands in this work for our common good. Sometimes he helps you in bathing the children or in some house work. Then together you converse on the way to the farm. It is simply nice so.”

“If he talks to you in a loving way, that alone makes you happy. If you have two children, on the way to the farm, he can carry one child and you carry the other.”

Considerate husband behaviour:Emotional aspects

“Sometimes when you are ill and the man does not have money to take you to hospital, what he will tell you will make you happy. “

“When you are tired or ill and he shows signs of care and love and even uses warm water to massage your body in place of medicine. In doing this, if he talks gently and lovingly to you, you will be happy. You may in return prepare such a nice meal for him as you have never done. “

“Child death is painful. (…) Any day you count your children their number is always short by one. Anytime you are lying in bed it is like the child is still lying in front of you.”

Survival of children