The reproductive and occupational health of women street vendors in Johannesburg, South Africa.

While the informal sector is rapidly emerging as the major source of employment in poor countries, little attention has been paid to the health hazards encountered by workers in this sector. Women, the majority of informal sector workers in most parts of the world, are particularly at risk. This paper reports on 422 women street vendors trading in 323 city blocks in Johannesburg, South Africa. The median age was 29 years, 66% were single, 29% had primary education and 58% had secondary schooling. Foreign-born women accounted for 15% of the sample and a further 59% of the women were not born in Johannesburg. More than a third of the women did not work for themselves and 48% earned <115 US dollars per month. Fertility was positively related to age and inversely related to education, while reported infertility was related to gynaecological disease. More than half the women used, mainly injectable, contraceptives and only 5% reportedly had PAP smears taken. Most of the women sold food and clothing, 51% lifted heavy weights and a small proportion of the women worked with fire. Over half of the women (54%), mainly those over 40 years and the self-employed, complained of a work-related illness or injury, mainly burns, cuts, headaches and musculoskeletal problems. The type of health problem was related to age and 32% had received treatment. More than half (52%) of the respondents reported that they were not comfortable with the working environment, for reasons ranging from lack of shelter and dirt (34%), noise (26%) and having to clean the area themselves (24%). While only 2% reported that they felt unsafe, violence and abuse was ever present. Approximately one in four women reported some form of abuse, either verbal or physical, while 7% reported that they had been sexually harassed. A substantial proportion (29%) of the women reported that they had been robbed of money or goods while trading in the streets. The implications of these findings are discussed.