Well-being and Ill-being: The Good and the Bad Life 177- Among pastoralists, whether Somalis in Somaliland or Kalmyks in Russia,
well-being is often intimately linked with animals. - Poor rural people emphasize land and livestock, farming capital and inputs for
livelihood activities, and being able to farm on one’s own. - Poor urban people repeatedly emphasize employment, a job, infrastructure,
housing, security of tenure and physical security. They sometimes have higher
material aspirations for consumption goods than rural people. In one urban
site in Malawi participants say that well-being entails leading a European
(Western) life (moyo wachizungu), having houses to rent out to others, having
decent and well-paying jobs and having very good houses with electricity. - Women tend more often than men to mention peace in the family; good social
relations in the community; adequate and nutritious food; good drinking
water; being able to bring up children in good conditions, keep them healthy,
and sending them to school; and not being maltreated in the family. - Men tend more often to mention material productive goods, and time to relax.
There are exceptions to these generalizations, and there is a danger of over-
stereotyping gendered priorities and values, especially at a time when change
in gender roles in many places is rapid. - The views of some poor children were asked. In Chittagong, Bangladesh,
according to children, well-being means having neat and clean surroundings,
with facilities for education, being able to play freely, living in a building, hav-
ing good food (fish, meat, vegetables, etc.), going every morning to madrasa
(traditional Muslim school), and everybody living in harmony. Peace and har-
mony in the family and in society are important to children.
Wealth and well-being are different
In discussions on criteria for a good life, the researchers report:
- ‘The group of young people underscored the need to have a family, to feel sup-
ported and understood.’ – According to a youth group in Barrio Universitar-
ios, Bolivia - In Bulgaria, ‘wealth and well-being are not identical, for the rich have money
but don’t have security, nor are they respected by the community. Ill-being is,
however, identical with poverty: this is “our situation”.’ - In Russia, ‘the life of the well-to-do people was never called a “good life”. Ulti-
mately, when both the younger and older participants talked about the well-
to-do people, they would never call their life a “good” one.’
Good living or well-being in Zambia, ‘can mean being liked, but also can make
others jealous and bring hatred and death’. Participants repeatedly distinguish
between wealth and well-being. Those who are wealthy are by no means always in
the top category for well-being. For example, a widow who is rich might not be
put in the top well-being category because widowhood is a bad condition.