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Women's Groups and Participation
After nearly 12 years of operation in Nepal, only 18% of all beneficiaries are women; by comparison, in Sri Lanka a target that 40% of all beneficiaries should be women was easily passed, and a level of 58% was achieved. In Indonesia, whilst there was a target that 20% of all groups formed should be women's groups, the actual achievement was 35%, and women constituted 40% of all beneficiaries. Because IFAD specifically targets women, a means is required to specify their involvement in project activities; an overall norm or target could be set as a percentage of total beneficiaries, or this could be in terms of the number of groups formed, depending on the local cultural preferences. This then leaves it to the women to decide on their preference between separate women's groups and mixed groups.
MTE surveys showed that in Sri Lanka, the majority of women preferred to participate through mixed groups whereas, in Indonesia, a large majority of women (84%) preferred women's groups. Although this may partly reflect cultural and educational differences between the two countries, it is equally possible that any preference in this matter is largely determined by the nature of economic activity undertaken. (For example, in Indonesia, in areas where the majority of women's groups undertake petty trade (which is a women's occupation), 85% of the women expressed a preference for separate women's groups; by contrast other women preferred to be in mixed groups because there were certain activities which required men's labour.)
A related question concerns women's rights of decision-making regarding activities for which loans had been obtained. In Sri Lanka, it was found by the MTE that about 50-60% of the women beneficiaries personally controlled their own production, receiving the full income, while 60% claimed to make the decisions regarding production. In this instance it would appear that women, through their groups, are in fact able to participate as decision-makers.
In Bangladesh, a number of projects have included the formation of womens groups, the CPE emphasised that women's status did depend on their contribution to family incomes, and that Bangladeshi women were quite active in seeking such opportunities.
- A target for women's involvement in project activities should be set in terms of per centage of beneficiaries or number of women's groups to be formed.
- Allowance should be made for the gender division of labour in a particular area in relation to the economic activity to be undertaken by the groups.
- The preference is for full integration of women in project activities, rather than separate women's components within the project design, providing this approach can protect access to project benefits for women.
References:
1. Bangladesh - Grameen Bank, 161-BA,1985.
2. Bangladesh - Grameen Bank Phase III, 239-BA, 1989.
3. Bangladesh Country Portfolio Evaluation, CPE94 CESBA94E, IFAD 1994.
4. India - Tamil Nadu Women's Development Project, 240-IN R240INAE, Mid-Term Evaluation, 1995.
5. Indonesia - Income-generating Project for Marginal Farmers and Landless, 215-ID R215IDAE, Mid-Term Evaluation, 1994.
6. Nepal - Second Small Farmer Development Project, 166-NE R166NPCE, Completion Evaluation, 1993.
7. Pakistan Country Portfolio Evaluation, CPE95 CESPA95E, IFAD 1995.
8. Sri Lanka - Kegalle Rural Development Project, 179-SR, Mid-Term Evaluation, 1992.
9. Sri Lanka - Small Farmers and Landless Credit Project, 219-SR, Mid-Term Evaluation, 1994.
