The contested spatialities of transnational activism: gendered gatekeeping and gender struggles in an African association of informal workers

Abstract:
This article examines the gender roles and the related tensions in an association of informal vendors in Maputo, and in an international organisation of vendors. The vendors‟ organisation in Maputo has mainly women members, but the leadership consists almost exclusively of men. While the discourse of the association is all about gender equity, it has not been integrated into the association‟s internal hierarchy. It is argued that women in the association should nonetheless not be seen as subordinate or lacking agency. They are aware of the gender hierarchy and have created a women‟s department in order to create space for influence. The international umbrella organization has gender equity as one of its core principles. This has led to some conflicts with the Mozambican association, since the male leaders have been unwilling to send female representatives to international meetings. The findings of the study warn against seeing international networks as having unrestrained mobility and fluidity, and instead point out the restrictions and power structures that may delimit the reach of such networks.