Lived experiences and consequences of unemployment on young women in Mahalapye, Botswana

The purpose of the present study was to identify factors that contribute to unemployment among young women aged 20-35 in Mahalapye village, investigate the effects of being unemployed, determine sources of support available to unemployed young women, and identify the gaps in state assistance in this regard. The study utilized a survey research method and adopted a descriptive research design. Cluster sampling was used with the sample size being one hundred (100) unemployed young women in Mahalapye. A face-to-face questionnaire method was adopted to collect data and the study was cross sectional. Since the research was quantitative the Statistical Package for Social Sciences was used to analyse data. The results showed that unemployment among young women in Mahalapye is a problem and young women are seriously affected by being unemployed. The study also revealed that high poverty levels result from unemployment and that this is linked to young women becoming engaged in criminal activities. A number of programmes have been put in place by government and other stakeholders to curb unemployment but the study indicated that a majority of the respondents have not benefited from these programmes. Low coverage, limited information about programmes, complicated help seeking processes, and lack of resources were identified as gaps in the provision of these programmes. Further research is needed to describe and elucidate in greater detail the effects of unemployment on young women of different ages and in different contexts.