An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story

Stokvels are frequent unofficial gatherings of individuals who choose to unite for improvement their living circumstances. They contribute to the development of social capital in society, particularly for women. Hence, the motivations behind widows joining stokvels were investigated in this study. T...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi, Anthony Kambi Masha, Patrick Bwowe
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Noyam Journals 2025-05-01
Series:E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EHASS2025661.pdf
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1849715074564882432
author Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi
Anthony Kambi Masha
Patrick Bwowe
author_facet Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi
Anthony Kambi Masha
Patrick Bwowe
author_sort Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi
collection DOAJ
description Stokvels are frequent unofficial gatherings of individuals who choose to unite for improvement their living circumstances. They contribute to the development of social capital in society, particularly for women. Hence, the motivations behind widows joining stokvels were investigated in this study. To collect data, members of stokvels were given a questionnaire with 13 questions. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 denoting strongly agree, 4 agree, 3 somewhat agree, 2 disagree, and 1 strongly disagree, respondents were required to react by placing an “X” on the corresponding number. Due to their low loadings and substantial variations, questions 4, 7, and 9 have been eliminated. The reliability or internal consistency of the study’s questionnaire was assessed using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. A score of 0.8 was considered an acceptable level of internal reliability. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the data after it had been analysed using statistical methods. The relationship between the variables in this study was defined through this process. Widows join stokvels for a variety of reasons, including social and financial ones, according to the study. Hence, widows should understand why they join stokvels according to the study’s findings. To obtain detailed descriptions of participants’ opinions in their natural environments, the study suggested that future research of this kind should employ a qualitative research methodology.
format Article
id doaj-art-bb0c5c7def274f5ba1699f3e4c857d4d
institution DOAJ
issn 2720-7722
language English
publishDate 2025-05-01
publisher Noyam Journals
record_format Article
series E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
spelling doaj-art-bb0c5c7def274f5ba1699f3e4c857d4d2025-08-20T03:13:30ZengNoyam JournalsE-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences2720-77222025-05-0166653669https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2025661An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape StorySamson Adeoluwa Adewumi0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4156-0971Anthony Kambi Masha1https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9306-0042Patrick Bwowe2https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1023-2094 Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management and Public Administration Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management and Public Administration Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Department of Human Resource Management, Faculty of Management and Public Administration Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Eastern Cape, South Africa.Stokvels are frequent unofficial gatherings of individuals who choose to unite for improvement their living circumstances. They contribute to the development of social capital in society, particularly for women. Hence, the motivations behind widows joining stokvels were investigated in this study. To collect data, members of stokvels were given a questionnaire with 13 questions. On a scale of 1 to 5, with 5 denoting strongly agree, 4 agree, 3 somewhat agree, 2 disagree, and 1 strongly disagree, respondents were required to react by placing an “X” on the corresponding number. Due to their low loadings and substantial variations, questions 4, 7, and 9 have been eliminated. The reliability or internal consistency of the study’s questionnaire was assessed using the Cronbach Alpha Coefficient. A score of 0.8 was considered an acceptable level of internal reliability. Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was used to test the data after it had been analysed using statistical methods. The relationship between the variables in this study was defined through this process. Widows join stokvels for a variety of reasons, including social and financial ones, according to the study. Hence, widows should understand why they join stokvels according to the study’s findings. To obtain detailed descriptions of participants’ opinions in their natural environments, the study suggested that future research of this kind should employ a qualitative research methodology.https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EHASS2025661.pdfstokvelsocial capitaleconomic reasonswidows
spellingShingle Samson Adeoluwa Adewumi
Anthony Kambi Masha
Patrick Bwowe
An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
stokvel
social capital
economic reasons
widows
title An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
title_full An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
title_fullStr An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
title_full_unstemmed An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
title_short An Analysis of Reasons Why Widows Join Stokvels: An Eastern Cape Story
title_sort analysis of reasons why widows join stokvels an eastern cape story
topic stokvel
social capital
economic reasons
widows
url https://noyam.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/EHASS2025661.pdf
work_keys_str_mv AT samsonadeoluwaadewumi ananalysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory
AT anthonykambimasha ananalysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory
AT patrickbwowe ananalysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory
AT samsonadeoluwaadewumi analysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory
AT anthonykambimasha analysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory
AT patrickbwowe analysisofreasonswhywidowsjoinstokvelsaneasterncapestory