Between Patriarchy and Precarity: Gendered Capabilities in Musina’s Changing Border Economy, South Africa

This article examines how gendered capabilities are reshaped at the intersection of patriarchy and precarity in Musina, South Africa’s changing border economy. Although research on border livelihoods highlights economic instability, less is known about how these pressures unevenly affect men’s and women’s agency within households. Drawing on 32 interviews, the article shows that patriarchal norms continue to restrict women’s access to resources, while rising precarity also constrains men through provider-based expectations. Using the capability approach, the analysis reveals how informal trade, mobility and care demands force households to renegotiate gender roles. Addressing these dynamics requires recognizing how both patriarchy and precarity limit freedoms.