Premises of the study

This study was written during 1988. It focuses attention on gender-related differences in shelter behaviour among low-income households In Kingston, Jamaica. By doing so, it seeks to identify whether there are any significant gender differences in shelter behaviour and, if there are, to determine the implications that these might have for the design and implementation of interventions aimed at improving the shelter situation of low-income households.

The data analysed and discussed in the study were collected in two main stages. The first was a survey of 677 low-income households in the Kingston Metropolitan Area (KMA) which was carried out as part of a large research project exploring the dynamics of the informal shelter sector. This provided a large database which was analysed from a gender-oriented perspective. The second stage was a series of 12 in-depth case studies which were carried out during 1988. Twelve female heads of household were interviewed at length about their shelter experience in order to provide an in depth picture of the strategies that female heads of households had employed in order to provide shelter for themselves and their families.

The study falls into three divisions. The first, of an introductory nature, consists of this chapter on the premises of the study, a background section on Jamaica and Jamaica's housing policies and strategies, and an overview of the study's findings and recommendations. The second covers the methodology of the study and presents the detailed findings of the research. The final section presents the study's conclusions. A glossary of terms, an overview of the women who served as case studies and one full case study are provided as annexes. Recommendations are detailed at the end of each chapter where this has proved appropriate.

There are three main premises of the study.