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women in South Africa to acquire social welfare information ranged from
music/religious gatherings to travel/holidays, and community
projects/women group activities, pension and shopping/movies. Reasons for
accessing this information ranged from leisure actiVities, to entertainment,
spiritual growth and relaxation, and improved standards of living. As is
eVident, these needs are interrelated and include in their range
physiological, affective and cognitive needs.
In other examples, findings by Mooko (2002) on the information needs of
rural women, reveal a comparatively higher percentage of physiological
information needs [i.e. sickness, food and clothing], which are accessed
mainly from personal and interpersonal networks. According to the author,
this information need and information-seeking behaviour is determined by
social factors, such as literacy levels and the cultural norms of the women.
Mooko argues that because most rural African women are educationally
disadvantaged, they are more inclined towards oral means of
communication. In a recent study on the informal sector in Uganda, Odongo
and Ocholla (2004: 58) illustrate that an information need arises when an
informal entrepreneur encounters a work-related problem that can be
resolved through the use of information. Once again, the role demands or
occupation of a user will inevitably determine the information need and use.
Krikelas (1983: 10) explains that studies of general publics, as well as those
focusing on special audiences (e.g., blue collar workers, scientists, academic
librarians, engineers, historians etc) have demonstrated that the setting in
which a person works (or lives) has great influence on defining needs. This
principle can be seen in various studies involving the social and
enVironmental contexts of rural women, i.e., Ngimwa, Ocholla and Ojiambo
(1997) on Kenya, Jiyane and Ocholla (2004) on South Africa, Ikoja ­
Odongo focusing on the information needs of women in the informal sector
of Uganda (2002), Mooko (2002) focusing on women in Botswana and
Mchombu (2000) on information needs of women in small businesses in
Botswana.
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