Theme: An externally imposed positive discrimination in favor of women is not enough in itself to ensure permanent change in gender relations. In 2000 IFAD conducted a review of gender strategies of various IFAD co-financed project in Latin America. The study included the IFAD co-financed PRODECOP project in Chile, which began implementation in late 1996. The project had three main components: (i) support for production; (ii) rural credit; (iii) environmental improvement. The beneficiaries were small farmers, of which an estimated 33% were to be women heads of families, or women involved in agricultural production or livestock management. The project design was more in line with a ‘gender in development’ approach than a ‘women in development’ approach. It included an analysis of the social and economic situation of rural women, and specified the number of women to be included in each of the main components and subcomponents. However, it did not specify mechanisms or specific actions to be taken to ensure that this actually occurred. In other words, the goals were there, but the strategy was missing. This was typical of the first projects designed under the gender approach: the focus was on ensuring that women and men received the same project services and benefits, but without any specific actions directed to women which could help this take place. Nor did the project design specify the hiring of a gender specialist by the Project Implementation Unit. Had this been done, it would have helped to elaborate a coherent gender strategy. In spite of the lack of a gender strategy and of a gender specialist, from the very beginning the project consistently focused on gender issues. The project implemented positive discrimination in favor of women, with the goal of integrating them into PRODECOP activities. This was probably largely due to the fact that the project manager – a woman - and many of the key staff (such as those in charge of training and organization) came from those government organizations dealing with women. The positive discrimination took two main forms. For instance, in the setting up of the Rural Development Councils (CDLs) for the project, which played the key role in the decentralized, demand-driven strategy, the project decreed that the leadership committee of the CDLs was to consist of three people, one of whom had to be a woman. These committee members were given training in leadership, participation and organization. Unfortunately, since all this was completely new, and there had been no gender sensitization, it was simply viewed by both the women and men as simply an imposition of the project. The study notes that there was also a feeling among both that the women selected did not merit the position. The second area of positive discrimination was applied to the competitions set up for production projects which were to be proposed to the CDLs for review. Competition rules specified that those initiatives presented by women and youth, or by mixed groups in which women were in the majority, would receive additional points. This resulted in women being in a favorable position for obtaining financing and technical assistance. The problem was, that such positive discrimination existed in isolation. That is, it was not part of an integrated strategy, in which other complimentary actions were also included. Nevertheless, it did have some impact on ensuring that women were involved in decision making, and resulted in financing of some projects directed by women. But the study concludes that the impact was not as great as it could have been had there been a more coherent strategy. Positive discrimination in favor of women will have a more lasting impact on gender relations if the men and women involved understand the reason for it. This will be more likely to be achieved if positive discrimination is one element of a general strategy, which also includes gender sensitization. Based on: IFAD, Programa de Fortalecimiento en los Aspectos de Genero Para los Proyectos Fida del Cono Sur e Integrantes del PROCASUR: Estudio Diagnostico – El Enfoque de Genero en la Ejecucion de los Proyectos FIDA Integrantes de PROCASUR: Rome: IFAD. |
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