TITLE:
Social Housing for Women Heads of Household in Congo Brazzaville
AUTHORS:
Ndongo Alain Symphorien, Bachynskaya Lyudmila Georgievna
KEYWORDS:
Household, Family, Female Head of Household, Social Housing, Congo, Housing Area Per Member
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Social Sciences,
Vol.7 No.8,
August
29,
2019
ABSTRACT: The results of
the 1974, 1984 and 2007 general
population censuses show a remarkable growth of women and girls compared to men
and boys. Among the population are many single women, divorced and widowed, who
are heads of their own households. The chronic urban housing crisis in Congo
and the lack of a functional principle for the development of collective social
housing only surprise Congo’s decision-makers and development partners. However,
how can vulnerable female-headed households be housed in order to permanently
eradicate gender inequality and repair the damage caused to women? This article
reviews the status of women and the current urban housing situation from four
perspectives, including: household type and size, housing content and surface
area per member. Based on a literature review of population survey data, the
study proposes three main types of social housing for female-headed households,
with areas ranging from 25 m2 to 90 m2. Thus each household
member benefits from between 8.50 m2 and 12 m2. The
European Union delegation to the Republic of Congo, the creation by the
Government of the Congolese Housing Bank (BCH) and the Sino Congolese Bank for
Africa (BSCA) are a major asset in the fight against poverty and the
improvement of people’s living conditions.