CALL FOR EXPRESSION OF INTEREST : OXFAM
Consultancy, Research Jobs
Job Description
1.BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT
The case study in Zimbabwe will be grounded in exploring how care infrastructure is understood across civil society groups in rural areas and government actors. In particular, the research will focus on women’s rights organization, women informal workers, and women political and social leaders. This may allow the research to understand the links between social protections and strengthening care infrastructure with a particular focus on women informal workers. The research may also explore how social norms may be creating barriers or openings for strengthening investments in care infrastructure. The study seeks to:
1. understand how unpaid care work affects women’s lives including their economic empowerment in rural districts of Zimbabwe.
2. explore the types of care infrastructure needed to support women’s unpaid care work and domestic work (UCDW) and
3. explore the linkages between informal and formal social protection of carers and /or women informal workers, austerity, and care infrastructure.
THEORY OF CHANGE
The recent and still ongoing COVID-19 pandemic’s health, economic, and social impacts have laid bare a host of structural inequalities across the world. One in particular, has been the unequal gendered division of care work. Oxfam’s ongoing advocacy and research on unpaid and paid domestic and care work put forward definitions of care supporting policies, which provide a basis for defining investments in care infrastructure. This research draws on previous three main Oxfam research and policy documents to broadly define care infrastructure. The first, the Care Principles and Barometer notes that care policies are “public policies that allocate resources to recognize, reduce and redistribute unpaid care work in terms of money, services and time or level of effort invested.” Second, the Care Policy Scorecard puts forth categories of care policies that provide a basis from which to define what constitutes investments in care infrastructure (related to and beyond physical infrastructure). Third, the OUS policy brief, “Increasing Investments in the IDA20 replenishment process,” defines care supporting policies as investments in:
• care-supporting physical infrastructure.
• care-supporting services.
• social protection benefits.
• gender-responsive budgeting.
• data production and analysis related to care work.
These broad categories from Oxfam’s previous work provide a basis for defining care infrastructure in a manner that goes beyond physical infrastructure to include policies and social initiatives that recognise, reduce, equitably reward, and redistribute care work and represent caregivers. However, within and between country contexts there is much debate about how to define and conceptualize care infrastructure. There remain significant debates between government, civil society, and private sector actors in different country contexts of what specific policies and initiatives would constitute care infrastructure.
Zimbabwe proposal
Focus: As such, the proposed research will layout the definitions, debates, experiences and demands related to care infrastructure across the Zimbabwean context, based on ongoing work on care. This includes examining the intra-country differences in how care infrastructure is defined as well as the ongoing demands related to care infrastructure of public sector, civil society, and private sector actors. That is, how do different actors across various Zimbabwe define care infrastructure, and what do they argue are the policies, initiatives (including community initiatives), or investments that constitute care infrastructure? (beyond the physical) In the Zimbabwean context, actors include among others local governments, national governments, private sector, communities, women’s right organizations, local activists, and other members of civil society. This expands the focus of the analysis from public policies to consider community, civil society and private sector initiatives related to care infrastructure. Included in this research is to chart what care infrastructure policies or initiatives have been successfully implemented and what investments have been made to realise them. In doing so, the research aims to help develop a typology of what constitutes care infrastructure across different country contexts.
Duties and Responsibilities
2. OBJECTIVE AND SCOPE OF WORK
The scope of work encompasses the development of a research case study designed to develop a definition and typology of care infrastructure investments anchored in Zimbabwe has the following general and specific objectives:
1. Determine how care infrastructure is being conceptualized, framed, and understood in Zimbabwe, both rural abs urban settings,
2. Determine how does unpaid care work affect and compromise women’s lives including their economic empowerment in rural and urban districts of Zimbabwe.
3. Determine any intersectionality that women who enter the paid workforce in order to access economic empowerment are confronted with in meeting the double challenge of balancing household, childcare and eldercare with paid work responsibilities.
4. Determine how infrastructure can address women’s unpaid care work
5. Determine the linkages between informal and formal social protections of women informal workers, austerity, and care infrastructure.
Whilst we have a set of strategic priority countries, we expect the consultant to draw examples from a range of countries. We expect the consultant to draw on learning from East Africa, Southern Africa, South Asia and Latin America , where the research will draw on six ongoing research projects across the Oxfam Confederation, Kenya, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, and the US, to examine the identified research questions. These case studies were included based on their engagement with care work in the Oxfam confederation, namely their current or former participation in the We-Care Initiatives, as well as, any others that may be relevant. There are a range of regional and global examples which the consultant can draw from; relevant examples may be existing coalitions which Oxfam is already a part of.
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Key activities will include:
1. Desk research with a view of identifying key themes, commonalities, identify gaps using among other things materials supplied by Oxfam.
2. Identify audience(s) and explore how they see and define care infrastructure ( primary and secondary data)
3. Begin informant interviews and integrate with 1-3 key sources
4. Data collection through focus group discuss (FDG) with the assistance of We Care partners and Partner Staff, Research Steering Group, and local research partners
5. Offer insight and guidance that can be used by Oxfam and project partners to advocate for a more inclusive access to care infrastructure.
6. Begin to align and strengthen civil society groups around a shared purpose
Qualifications and Experience
3. PROPOSED METHODOLOGY AND RESEARCH APPROACH
The research methodology will be collaboratively reviewed and refined with the consultant(s), and Oxfam in Zimbabwe Program Policy Manager and Women’s Rights and Gender Justice Coordinator. The methodology is expected to include a mixed method research comprising (but not limited to) desk/literature review and key informant interviews with stakeholders, including, representatives from diverse WROs, informal workers/traders as well as, academicians and activists, as well as focus group discussions.
Deliverables
• Literature review, Inception Report, Draft and Final report including executive summary, case study and recommendations
Proposed timeline and Milestones
This is an urgent undertaking and therefore Oxfam is expecting to get a consultant who is ready to start ASAP and work within tight deadlines
• Inception Report outline and detailed methodology and timeline – 31 September 2022
• Desk research and interviews –October 2022
• First draft report – October 2022
• Second draft report – October 2022; Integrating comments from first draft. Oxfam will provide final/redline comments
• Presentation to Oxfam and partners at a validation workshop – 30 October 2022; discussion and informal presentation to outline key insights emerging from the assignment
• Final report – November 2022; approx. 20-30 pages, not including annexes
Profile and skillset
We envision a consultant, or a team would be suitable to take this work on. We are most interested in hearing from those who have the following profile and skillset:
• Commitment to, understanding of and demonstrated experience working on women’s economic empowerment and care work, valuing women’s work and women’s economic justice and rights.
• Strong networks with and experience of working in and/or in partnership with women rights organisations in rural and urban landscape of Zimbabwe.
• Commitment to, understanding of and demonstrated experience working on issues affecting women and unpaid care and domestic work, informal workers/traders (vendors) and/or working in the informal economy, women in and other marginalised groups
• Commitment to, understanding of and demonstrated ability to carry out and analyse research in line with feminist principles and using feminist research methodologies
• Demonstrated ability to extract, analyse, synthesise, and organize broad amounts of information into a report format.
• Knowledge and experience in participatory methodologies and approaches
• Knowledge and experience in research and participatory methodologies and using approaches such FGDs and KIIs
• Relevant academic, professional, or practical experience on gender equality, care work, women workers’ rights, and movement/ coalition building
How to Apply
6.TIMELINE
The assignment shall be carried within a period of 30 days effective from the date of signing the contract, spread over two months.
7.PAYMENT
Payment will be made upon successful completion of the assignment as follows: 30% upon signing of contract and production of accepted inception report, 60% upon presentation of an acceptable draft report and final 10% upon presentation and acceptance by Oxfam of a final report to Oxfam.
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8. LINES OF COMMUNICATION
The consultant will report to the Oxfam Program Policy Manager and closely liaise with the Oxfam Gender Justice and Women’s Rights Coordinator.
10.TO APPLY
Interested candidates should submit not later than 1200 hours Monday 12 September 2022 An expression of interest, detailed budget, work plan and their CVs to zimtenders@oxfam.org.uk . Please note that CVs will be reviewed on a rolling basis as this is an urgent recruitment. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.
