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    Transport and women's social exclusion in urban areas in Pakistan : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University, Manawatu, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Ahmed, Waheed
    This thesis explores women’s everyday experiences of transport-related social exclusion, factors responsible for this, and how women negotiate restrictions on their mobility in urban areas of Pakistan. Although there is an emerging realization in the transport literature about the importance of studying social exclusion and marginaliation, little research has been carried out focusing on women’s social exclusion in transport, especially with regards to urban areas in developing countries. The present study fills this research gap by analysing the case studies of Islamabad and Rawalpindi, in Pakistan. These cities have been selected to explore how the highly contrasted urban form of planned and unplanned cities, as well as socio-cultural norms and institutional arrangements, impacts on women’s mobility and transport choices. The theoretical framework combines rights-based and empowerment approaches to identify constraints and opportunities for change to women’s mobility. The right-based and empowerment approaches have been selected over other theoretical lenses because they see women as active agents of change rather than portraying them as passive victims. In doing so, the emphasis is placed on rights, accountabilities, and structural injustices in society, which are imperative to study women’s transport issue in developing country contexts. The design of the research is largely qualitative in nature, thus methods such as in-depth interviews, life stories, and structured observations have been used. Fifty-two in-depth interviews exploring the life stories of low-income women, business women, administrators and professional women in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, were particularly illuminating. Besides interviewing women as users of transport system, the viewpoints of males including drivers and conductors of public transport, and a range of stakeholders, were also considered. Enriched by stories of the everyday experiences of women in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the findings of this study highlight that women do face structural and social barriers to their mobility in the shape of: stereotypical norms about women’s travel; negative attitudes of men about women in public spaces; difficulty in accessing walkways, bus stops, and public transport; safety and security concerns; and gender insensitive policies and projects. The findings also highlight that, despite these problems, women are seen to be coming out of their homes and shattering stereotypes. Although few in numbers, these women can be regarded as success stories as far as women’s empowerment through mobility is concerned. The present research develops new insights into women, gender and transport issues within cities of developing countries by finding that transport is a development issue where patriarchal attitudes, fear and safety concerns, and quality of transport service are highly relevant to women’s capability to travel, yet there are cases in which women have been able to negotitiate highly gendered power relations in order to gain greater freedom of movement.
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    A study of non-commercial dairy farming systems in the Western Division of Fiji : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Agricultural Science in Farm Management at Massey University, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 1992) Richardson, Fiona J
    The purpose of this study was to describe the smallholder dairy system(s) in the Western Division of Viti Levu. the largest island of Fiji. The role and contribution of non-commercial dairy cows to the income, nutrition and cultural well-being of Indian families in these systems was assessed. In common with such dairy systems elsewhere in the developing world there is a dearth of available information on the non-commercial dairy sector of Fiji. A Farming Systems Research (FSR) approach provided the framework for the field survey which was carried out in the Western Division of Fiji over an eight week period from February to March 1991. Nineteen farmers selected at random were interviewed for this study. These farmers together owned a total of 36 non- commercial dairy cows. Information was obtained from these farmers on their farming resources and operations and in particular, on the roles, production and reproductive performance of their cows. Using data from these farms and other limited secondary data which was available, a whole farm budget for a typical farm in the survey area was prepared, identifying the revenue and costs of commercial and subsistence crop enterprises and the two-cow system. For the 'typical' farm, the total net revenue from the combined crop enterprises (commercial and subsistence) was F$5433/year. with sugar cane providing the main source of income from the farm. The imputed net value of production from the two-cow system was estimated to be about 38% of the net crop revenue. Per capita consumption for Indian farm families of fat and protein from liquid milk were estimated to be 11,6kg and 10.5kg per year, respectively. Survey results show that liquid milk is a significant source of protein to these families. Farmers reported that if a cow was not owned a reduction in the nutritional welfare, health and income of the family would most likely occur. Longitudinal field studies in these smallholder farming systems are recommended to allow the essential dynamics of the livestock enterprises and the relationships between these enterprises, the cropping systems and the farmers' families to be established.. It is concluded from the field studies that non-commercial dairy cows make a significant contribution to the nutrition and economic and cultural well being of the families which keep them. and that these cows are maintained and produce using resources of low opportunity cost to the farm family. Key words: smallholder dairy systems. Farming Systems Research. Fiji agriculture, tropical dairy production.
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    Enabling participation through partnership : emancipatory research : the potential for change for disabled people : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Social Policy and Social Work at Massey University
    (Massey University, 1998) Boyles, Pauline; Boyles, Pauline
    This thesis presents an example of emancipatory research used within the field of disability studies. It argues that research can be conducted in a way which more directly addresses the needs of disabled people and involves them in its design and delivery. The key questions examine the role of emancipatory research in enabling disabled people to take control of their lives and to accomplish change in their immediate environment. Secondary questions explore the contribution of critical theorists Brian Fay and Stuart Rees in informing a model of emancipatory research and their work has been adapted to act as a framework for the thesis. The challenges researchers face when embarking on this type of research are confronted in a realistic and constructive way. It is argued that the achievement of a definition of 'emancipatory' more often depends on the attitudes and values of the researcher and the resulting impact on those whose lives are central to the research. The thesis describes how a group of twelve disabled students formed the Disability Action Research Group (DARG), identified some goals for change in their immediate environment and subsequently developed a disability equity training package to be delivered to the staff of Victoria University. The journey from action research group to the development of a training group with a legal status instigated by the students of DARG is presented, offering some landmarks for others wishing to engage in similar activities.. The key theme of partnership represents the potential for alliances between disabled people as well as with their nondisabled allies. "Enabling participation through partnership" underpins every aspect of this thesis and reflects its fundamental principles.