Socioeconomic Determinants Influencing Livelihood Outcomes of Young Widows in Yatta Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

Young widows in Yatta Sub-county, Machakos County, experience socioeconomic related challenges that affect their ability to sustain better livelihood outcomes. The challenges include low and irregular incomes, limited financial resources, healthcare inequalities, and limited control over land use. Despite efforts on women empowerment programmes, young widow-headed households experience socioeconomic related problems thereby exposing them to greater vulnerability. Empirical studies from other developing contexts demonstrate socioeconomic determinants such as table banking skills, healthcare access, income levels, and land access can systematically undermine widow’s livelihoods outcome. Simultaneous evidence on how table banking skills, healthcare access, income levels, and land access associates with livelihood outcomes of young widows in semi-arid rural areas such Yatta Sub-County remains limited. The study sought to examine specifically influence of table banking skills, healthcare access, income level and land access in shaping livelihood outcomes of young widows in Yatta sub-county. Sustainable livelihood framework and capability approach guided the study and applied convergent mixed methods design. The study targeted young widows and key informants who included Lower Eastern Women Cooperative Society officers, chiefs, assistant chiefs, and community health assistants. A sample of 217 was drawn from a target population of 473 using Yamane formula. Questionnaires and Interviews were used to collect data. Qualitative analysis used thematic approach while quantitative used descriptive analysis and inferential statistics. Multiple linear regression analysis examined influence of table banking skills, healthcare access, income levels and land access on livelihood outcomes. The regression model explained 37.6% of the variation in livelihood outcomes (R² = .376). Table banking skills was found to have the strongest positive and statistically significant relationship with livelihood outcomes (β = .373, p< .001), followed by access to healthcare (β = .336, p< .001), income level (β = .287, p< .001) and access to land (β = .213, p< .001). Qualitative findings complemented the relationships between the variables, supporting the contribution of table banking skills, healthcare access, incomes levels and land access. The study found that all four socioeconomic determinants studied ; table banking skills, healthcare access, income levels and land access had positive and significantly associated with the livelihood outcomes of the young widows in Yatta Sub County. The study recommends capacity building on financial literacy and table banking practices, mitigate access to healthcare, increasing appropriate economic support, raising awareness and protection of land rights of young widows to better their livelihood outcomes.