The main effect of HIV/AIDS on small businesses employing women will be on productivity. In the short term, lower productivity will be a result of poor performance and absenteeism. For example, Ainsworth (1993) comments that AIDS-related illnesses will raise fatigue at work and absenteeism. In the long run, lower productivity will be a result of permanent disability and death of employees.
However, studying the impact of HIV/AIDS on any socio-economic group is a challenging activity because of the stigma associated with the disease. The fears and prejudices of employers and employees concerning HIV/AIDS are likely to be reflected in the responses they give during interviews. The understanding of HIV/AIDS related issues, though somewhat clear in the mind of the researcher, is not that easy for ordinary people. Therefore, there is a possibility that mixed responses will be received from the interviewees.
The study is based on perceptions, which are subjective. Perceptions are based not only on just what people observe but also on what people have experienced. Thus, responses from interviewees were influenced by personal experiences. That is, for the same question the response from someone who has had a relative or workmate die from an HIV/AIDS related illness can be considerably different from that of someone who has not. Therefore, the results of the study, even if they are quantified, should be used very cautiously when making general conclusions on the impact of HIV/AIDS on businesses employing women.
The study covers both employers and employees to give a balanced view of the perceived impact of HIV/AIDS on the specific service sectors selected. However, there is a disadvantage to this approach. The views that these two groups have on HIV/AIDS and its effect on the businesses may differ because the two groups represent different interests. Employers may be more concerned with quantifying the loss in productivity arising from HIV/AIDS illnesses and deaths in monetary terms. On the other hand, workers may focus more on the human factor. That is, they may view the impact more in terms of the loss of a colleague and friend. This difference may affect the responses obtained in the study.
Productivity in the work place can be measured in terms of hours worked and number of clients attended to. Absenteeism, disability and death will all have a negative impact on these indicators of productivity. However, the effects of HIV/AIDS will go beyond by leading to higher costs and thus lower profits. Depending on the type of business, HIV/AIDS leads to higher costs through increased medical and funeral expenses. Even if the business does not contribute to medical and funeral expenses, it faces higher costs because it becomes more expensive for the business to pay fixed salaries when productivity is dropping. Indeed, the application of the theory of productivity is arguably incomplete without mentioning costs and profitability.
Although considering costs and profits would be interesting as a means of analysing the research problem, in the context of small businesses it is not easy to obtain information on these indicators. For instance, examining productivity in terms of absenteeism does not target the actual financial flows in and out of a business, whereas costs and profits do. It would be difficult to include these two indicators in the study. It is not the intention of the study to conduct this type of financial analysis. MSEs are known for not keeping accurate records and where they do keep them, they tend to be unwilling to share them for several reasons, such as the fear of these records being used for tax purposes. Therefore, the study is limited to productivity as observed from a subjective point of view by those interviewed.
According to research, because of their social and economic status, female workers in small businesses are at higher risk of HIV/AIDS infection relative to men. They are at risk of engaging in multiple sexual relations to supplement their small incomes. However, modelling the sexual behaviour of men is also an important issue in as far as women being infected with HIV/AIDS are concerned. One has to consider the sexual behaviour of men not so much in an economic context, but more in a cultural one. In African society men are “expected” to have several sexual partners. It is almost considered “unAfrican” for a man to have a monogamous relationship. These cultural and social pressures mean that one man has the potential to infect several women.
Finally, a weakness of the current study is that it covers an area that is not well researched. The review of the related literature has revealed that there are limited studies on the impact of HIV/AIDS on small businesses, particularly studies with a gender bias. No theoretical framework has been put forward to assess research problems of this nature. The current study will not propose a theoretical framework, but will be guided by the approach taken by other studies covered in the review.
