Gender-transformative Approach to Societal Empowerment

Introduction

More than institutional barriers, the non-cooperation of male members and social structures hinder women’s ability to articulate their opinions. Further, the lack of equal opportunities leads to a lack of education, awareness and experience among women, thus magnifying their vulnerability. Men in villages do not often accord women with the respect and regard that is their due. As a result, village administration, which is executed through Panchayat Raj, is rendered handicapped in the absence of productive devolution so that the most able of women are prevented from having their voices heard in the allocation of resources or key village decisions. In many parts of India, especially in northern states, the husband performs the duties of the women pradhans and gram sabha members instead of the women themselves (Singh, 2017).

Given that women are assumed responsible for the needs and necessities of their families, development interventions often target women in the hope of change. According to World Health Organization, even though the entire community should be involved in a hygiene promotion project, women’s priorities are particularly important because women usually ensure that good hygiene is practiced in the home (WHO.int, 2018). Projects based on such assumptions often lead to gender gaps and release men from the responsibility of fulfilling the programme goals. Men play a significant role in the socio-economic progress of women. Ignoring men while designing and implementing gender-oriented policies may limit their effectiveness and exacerbate existing disparities (Farré, 2012).

During the 66th UN General Assembly held in August 2018, states were advised to focus on promoting women’s rights, so that they can be ‘agents of change’ for sustained socio-economic development and security around the world. It is important to consider that India, as a collectivistic society, has been bereft of women’s participation in societal machinery; in such atmosphere, gender-oriented policies that focus on women can act as roadblocks to inclusive development and burden women with the obligation of ‘bringing a change’ in the society (United Nations Development Programme [UNDP], 2011). The following section sheds light on the evolution of women’s collectives and how the onus of change rests on women through various gender-specific programmes.

Women’s Collectives

Women’s empowerment, through the formation of collectives, is based on a global theory of change that addresses the underlying cause of poverty and women’s exclusion in various aspects of society. Change is achieved through increasing group activity and interaction. In India, these collectives largely took the shape of self-help groups (SHG) that emerged to be the most viable medium towards this cause because it economically empowered women and satiated the menfolk as they could witness asset creation and financial support in times of need. A study by Krenz, Gillbert, and Mandayam (2014) on women participants in a women’s microfinance empowerment programme in Mumbai, India, to explore pathways to individual and collective empowerment showed that, when offered alongside other vital services, microfinance-based empowerment programmes can positively affect social, emotional and financial well-being as well as household gender relations to varying extents. Research over time has also proven that women build social capital through the process of collectives and that changes their status both within the home and the community (Mor, 2015). Thus, the nature of collectives has evolved from microfinance to organizing women into groups that can be imparted with life skills, awareness on their rights and entitlements and vocational skills of their choice, resonating well with the corresponding cultural ethos to which they belong. In searching for robust pathways for the empowerment of women, Mor points out that group meetings through these collectives produce a strong feeling of ‘solidarity and corresponding flow of emotions’.

Evidence from India proves that such collectives improve decision-making capacity, increase livelihoods capacity and thereby lead to the empowerment of both women and men (Jain, 2003). Participating women are the beneficiaries for development and empowerment and develop an ability to assert their rights for their economic and social well-being (Wallace, Wamalwa, & March, 1991).

In line with the available evidence on the multitude of benefits that women collectives can yield, Sehgal Foundation (SF) launched the women’s collective programme in 2014–2015. The next section describes the aforementioned programme and provides an assessment of the programme.

Sehgal Foundation’s Women’s Collective Programme

Creating Mahila Sangathans, or women collectives, is an endeavour by SF to impart confidence among women representatives and to strengthen their bargaining power. This programme was initiated in 2014. The sangathans give women in programme areas across Haryana, Rajasthan and Telangana, a platform to come together, address common problems and contribute to the development of their respective villages. Each sangathan consists of 25–30 members, including members of panchayats, school management committees, village health sanitation and nutrition committees and some key village women. The sangathans provide training to further impart knowledge and skills to other women. In order to assess the impact of this programme, 30 focus group discussions were undertaken with husbands, children and elderly people associated with the participating women. To develop interpretation coherence and comprehend underlying behavioural and societal patterns, in-depth interviews were also conducted with members having familial association with participating women. A total of 16 interviews were conducted.

Through the field work undertaken for collecting qualitative data, it was observed that in the presence of male members of the family, women are hesitant to accept challenges and struggles. Moreover, women seem afraid to admit their day-to-day problems either in the presence or absence of male family members. Women in the discussions reported that men suffer from high egos, which results in the continuing oppression of women. Gender norms of subordination of women to men continue to prevent women’s empowerment in the region, and gender stereotypes continue to stall the liberation process. Women opine that change in the mindsets of men is imperative to bring about change and positive development in the society at large.

A predominant finding from the field has been the need to organize men collectives aimed at generating awareness among men regarding their rights and duties within their families in order for them to understand and support the role of women in and outside their households. This recommendation has been emphasized by men and women alike who were a part of the discussions and interviews. Findings from the field formed a basis to revisit programmes that aim to ‘empower’ women and focus on sustainable change through utilizing women as agents of change. The following section focuses on revisiting such gender-oriented programmes in order to capture the larger picture of social dynamics pertaining to gender.

Revisiting Women’s Empowerment Programmes

The need to focus on women in development programmes is justified in order to bring them to par. Gender and generational relations exist within households with the male ‘head’ having a higher level of control, especially in rural settings. Women lack the rights to inherit or own land, face limited mobility and are largely paid less than men across the globe. Moreover, women’s continued inability to control their own fertility means that childbirth limits their ability to engage in productive activities. Without a doubt, their vulnerability places them in a position worthy of special focus for any kind of positive intervention. Selective emphasis only on women can result in a failure of interventions.

On the economic front, there exists a socially constructed belief that economic resources that enter the household through women are more likely to be spent on household and children’s needs. Female-headed households may not be poorer per se, but as male members withhold income for personal consumption, women and children within the household may be considered poor (Chant, 2003). When women earn, men may withhold their income, leaving women and children with access to the same level of resources but improving the position of men through their greater control of those resources. This ‘negligence’ on the part of men has translated into women being targeted in poverty reduction and social policy initiatives. This associated feminization of obligation and responsibility (Chant, 2003) for delivering policy outcomes may sideline men and add further to women’s existing triple burden of reproductive, productive and community management work.

Not enough empirical evidence has been generated or published regarding the advantages or disadvantages of targeting programmes or policy interventions towards women. Observations, detection of patterns and documentation are extremely crucial to comprehend the complexity of gender dynamics, especially in rural areas. According to a study by Oxford University on women and agricultural productivity, empirical studies have provided scant evidence for where the returns to projects may be highest in terms of who to target. Donors increasingly require that gender issues be addressed in projects and proposals. There is neither consensus nor validity with regard to gender-oriented interventions. Empirical analysis of these issues has been sparse (Doss, 2016).

It can certainly be postulated that maintaining gender equality in all aspects to attain a given programme’s objectives would minimize repercussions from gender-specific programmes.

How Can a Gender-transformative Approach Help?

A gender-transformative approach promotes gender equality through the shared control of resources and decision-making.1

In the context of women collectives, a gender-transformative approach entails improving women’s access to key services and government officials and also helping communities understand and challenge the social norms that perpetuate inequalities between men and women. It also involves engaging men and boys in ways that address their needs and that support women’s and girls’ economic and social decision-making. A gender-transformative approach creates an enabling environment for gender transformation by going beyond merely including women as participants. Men’s collectives could be an effective example of including participants beyond women. In light of feasibility issues, a gender-transformative approach can take the shape of a continuum of gender integration or the integration of gender issues into all aspects of programme and policy conceptualization, development, implementation and evaluation (Health Communication Capacity Collaborative, 2014).

A step towards achieving goals of gender transformation is the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development’s mandate—the use of gender policy markers, also called G-markers. These help member states to assess development interventions in terms of the contribution they make to realizing gender equality and strengthening the rights of women. To achieve lasting benefits for improving the quality of life for rural women and their families, it is vital to advance beyond treating the symptoms of gender inequality to addressing the underlying causes that are deeply rooted in gender norms and behaviours, power relations and social institutions.