ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the relationship between uneven development and gender relations at the household scale, conducted an empirical study prior to and, in part, simultaneously with the survey analysis. It shows that survival strategies provides baseline information against which to measure the situation of entrepreneurs and the relationship between self-employment, uneven spatial development and unequal gender relations. The life stories also revealed that survival strategies do not necessarily mean equal sacrifice on the part of all household members. When they opt for reduction in consumption, many families decide not to purchase electrical appliances that would save labour, especially that done typically by women, in the household. In the west the main problem indicated by the women present at the focus group, apart from shortage of time, was gender relations within the family. The chapter discusses individual life-histories to look at the decision to become an entrepreneur and the impact of this at the household level.
