Power of partnership conference: Poster: Negotiating gender norms: Women's participation in anti-poverty programmes

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b) Cost of accessing the scheme and overall earnings
from the schemes
c) Perceptions of what makes it suitable for women
(regular wage, specific time; alternative work
opportunity differs by gender)
What Matters at the Public Work
Sites
Gendered ideas about the kind of work
suitable for women
-’lighter work’ allocated for women
Perceptions of gender wage gap
- mandatory inclusion and clause on equal wage
- all interviewees agreed about the above
- Views differ about equal wages in public work
schemes and wage gap in other work
Gendered Provisions
- Child-care provision missing – although done
elsewhere!
- Childcare by others at site
- Toilets
Safety nets as supporting
women’s economic
contribution in the family
Old age allowance allowing old women to be
independent and have self respect
Old age and widow allowance as allowing old people
to be independent and have self respect as well as to
be well-regarded by their families
VGD/VGF seen as important economic contributions
that women are making to the household income.
•Introduction
Public works programs are perceived as key policy
measure for mitigating rural poverty in times of crisis
and involving rural poor women in the labor markets
outside the home. Women use different strategies
to gain access to these schemes and negotiate with
familymembers and with gatekeepers of these
schemes. The conflicts and negotiations in the
familyabout women’s participation and use of the
benefits enable us to understand the norms and
practices/ strategies used in the couple or the
family. Also the strategies used to negotiate access
with the authorities (government or NGO) enable us
to understand the social gender norms regarding
women’s entitlementsfrom the state or civil society
and individuals and families negotiations with them.
Focus
- How do gender norms influence women’s access
to and participation in anti-poverty programmes
(both safety nets and public works)?
- How do women and men negotiate these gender
norms?
Methods
Figure 1 : Map of Bangladesh, with field sites indicated
Three regions:
- char,
- non char
- forest
* 2 villages in each area, one with high literacy and
close to town; and another with low literacy and far
away from town
* Qualitative study sample 41: 28 women and 13
men
* Areas were chosen where a large majority were
below a poverty line.
* Existence of various safety net schemes and
public work schemes –
- Safety Net: widow allowance, old age
allowance, VGD, VGF,
- PW: 100 days, 40days
Findings
Women’s Participation in public
work schemes is determined by
following factors :
a) Intra-household work redistribution
Changes regarding gender
norms
Views on women participating in public work
outside the household
-- Seen as ‘honorable’ as work provided by the state
-- Resistance limited
-- Different from what it was like when RMP and other
programmes were implemented
Men doing childcare/ household chores
-- childcare acceptable by some younger men but not
other types of chores
Women’s interactions in ‘informal processes’
-some interactions are gendered (paying bribe, who
pays, what kind of payment)
Policy implications
Increase women’s participation in public
works in specific regions
-Legitimacyof the state initiative: State as norm
changer.
-At these sites women and their families prefer these
schemes in areas where alternatives are few
Address gender concerns
-Public work programmes should ensure equal wages,
childcare and toilets on site as well as security
Work with the family
-As family plays an important role in contesting
communitynorms on gender (around purdah, what kind
of work is appropriate) they have to be involved from
the beginning
-As family needs or economic priorities are driving
compromises with norms programme should target the
most deprived
References
Kabeer, Naila ( 1997) Women, Wagesand
Intra‐household Power Relations in Urban Bangladesh;
Development and Change; Volume 28 Issue 2 April
Luke, Nancy & Munshi, Kaivan (2011) "Women as
agents of change: Female income and mobility in India,"
Journal of Development Economics, Elsevier, vol. 94(1),
pages 1-17, January.
Mukhopadhyay, Swapna and S.D. Tendulkar (2006),
Gender Difference in Labour Force Participation in
India: An Analysis of NSS data, Working Paper GN(III)
Negotiating Gender Norms: Women’s Participation in Anti-Poverty Programmes
Maheen Sultan, Sohela Nazneen, Sahida Khondaker
BIGD, BRAC University
‘”I fetch firewood, or if she is cooking
and she needs water, I fetch it for her.
She asks for help and I always help
her”. Afjal from char area
“In terms of benefits, they do not pay higher wages
but the work is easier. However, you have to
deposit BDT 2000 in the bank you go to collect your
wages. -- women are involved in this, but they too
have to deposit BDT 2000 when they pick up their
wages”
“My grand mother in law brought up my
husband when his father abandon him after her
mother death. The main earning source of her
grandmother in law was old age scheme”
Polly from non char area
Ambia, 60 years old widow, live s all alone, She
gets an old age allowance. Her daughter come sto
look after her as she some times help s her
financially when she get s her allowance, She also
gets credit from others as they know she will pay
the loan back after getting her allowance.