14 WOMEN AND LIVELIHOOD

T. Amutha

epgp books

 

 

 

1.    Introduction

 

Livelihoods for women is not a new issue, it is about issues women have been mobilising around for decades for land, water, forests, indigenous peoples’ rights, climate change and displacement. However, there is a pressing need to focus on livelihoods as a right in the context of the deepening crisis of capitalism and its impact on livelihood related rights for women around the world. Viewing the different aspects as part of a greater issue and addressing them in a more holistic way has tremendous power. Women contribute to 65-70% of the labour in agriculture. Most of them are illiterate and unable to attend formal training courses leaving their domestic responsibilities, rural women trail in adopting new technologies and in taking advantage of modern scientific and information technologies. Furthermore, introduction of any new programme for promoting livelihood will further add to their burden, as they are already suffering from drudgery, ill-health, suppression and deprivation of their basic rights and status in the society. Therefore, women empowerment should be an important and integral component of the sustainable livelihood

 

2.    Definition – Livelihood

 

A person’s livelihood refers to their “means of securing the basic necessities -food, water, shelter and clothing- of life”. Livelihood is defined as a set of activities, involving securing water, food, fodder, medicine, shelter, clothing and the capacity to acquire above necessities working either individually or as a group by using endowments (both human and material) for meeting the requirements of the self and his/her household on a sustainable basis with dignity. The activities are usually carried out repeatedly. For instance, a fisherman’s livelihood depends on the availability and accessibility of fish.

 

3.    Sustainable Livelihood

 

The concept of Sustainable Livelihood (SL) is an attempt to go beyond the conventional definitions and approaches to poverty eradication. These had been found to be too narrow because they focused only on certain aspects or manifestations of poverty, such as low income, or did not consider other vital aspects of poverty such as vulnerability and social exclusion. It is now recognized that more attention must be paid to the various factors and processes which either constrain or enhance poor people’s ability to make a living in an economically, ecologically, and socially sustainable manner.

 

The Sustainable Livelihood concept offers a more coherent and integrated approach to poverty. The sustainable livelihoods idea was first introduced on Environment and Development, and during the year 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development expanded the concept, advocating for the attainment of sustainable livelihoods as a broad goal for poverty eradication.

 

4.    Routine task of a rural Woman

 

In case of rural women, the day starts in the early morning with the various responsibilities such as fetching water, fodder, fuel and cooking food. She has to take care of the children and members of the family, their health, orientation and education and attends to various income generation activities. She has to manage all the household matters and look after her family assets and livestock, she has to handles the purchases and finance, works for almost 14-16 hours and is the last to sleep at night. But still, if you ask her children what do their mother does? Most of them instantly reply “nothing”. There is no credit or appreciation for their hard work, because her work is not evaluated in terms of money. When she falls sick, she does not complain and this goes unnoticed by others in the family as they continue to work as usual for the sake of the family. She manages the family very efficiently but is still treated as illiterate. Women are ignored in various matters, which are of concern to them as well. As a result, today women are the worst fatalities in the society due to drudgery, ill health, illiteracy, dispossession and humiliation. Backwardness of women is a sign of poverty and women are the worst sufferers during the period of scarcity and calamity. No wonder, India hosts over one-third of the poor in the world, as lack of empowerment of women is a significant cause of poverty.

 

With this background, BAIF has a directive to ensure women empowerment in the development programmes and thereby strive to create a favourable atmosphere for their successful participation. This approach for women empowerment programme is addressed through drudgery reduction, gender sensitization among other sections of the community, capacity building to enhance their competence and contribute to economic development and ensure equal opportunity and status in the society.

 

5.    BAIF- Institute for sustainable livelihood and development

 

Promotion of Wavli was the doorway for Women Empowerment in Vansda. conventionally, women have occupied themselves in vegetable cultivation in their backyards and men have never staked their claim over these earnings. This tradition known as Wavli ensured exclusive right of women over their earnings. Realizing that Wavli could be an tremendous chance to empower women, several new activities such as nurseries of fruit and forestry plants, mushroom production, large scale vegetable production and shared cropping by women groups were introduced. Wavli fascinated a large number of women and the men also extended their assistance. The income from Wavli were used by the women for food, clothing and procurement of utensils and ornaments, which were their precedence. Hence, Wavli turned out to be a golden opportunity to put into practice the orchard development programme successfully, while enlightening the men about the role of women in economic development. This occurrence motivated BAIF to ensure equal opportunity for women in all the development programmes.

 

5.1 Drudgery Reduction

 

The extent of burden and sufferings of the rural women in India vary widely with the social and economic status, local customs, size of family and many other factors. Hence, an exhaustive study with close interaction with women may help to identify suitable solutions for their problems. Based on the needs, the drudgery reduction measures introduced for women include:

  • construction of safe drinking water sources closer to their houses
  • Maternal and child health and family welfare
  • Support for traditional health care practices
  • Training of midwives and improving the skills of local healers
  • Awareness on health, hygiene and sanitation
  • Training of local youth as health guides for first-aid.
  • Establishment of community grain banks and promotion of nutrition gardens
  • Promotion of energy conservation devices: improved woodstoves, biogas, solar devices and energy plantations
  • Establishment of Anganwadis and awareness of girl’s education

 

These activities have been very well appreciated and are also being encouraged by the male members of the society.

 

5.2 Gender Equality

 

While interacting with the rural women, the major obstacles were the elder male members of the family, who were used to seeing their women subdued and non-interfering and who never stepped outside the house on their own. Hence, a dialogue with women threatened their status and dominance. Therefore, it was helpful to sensitize the men about the benefits of women empowerment, particularly, with respect to development of children and enhancement of skills for income generation. The other aspects which required persuasion were opening of joint bank accounts and registering assets and land titles jointly. Recognition of their services to the family and society could empower them further and provide equal status in the society.

 

5.3 Gender Sensitive Approach to Women Empowerment

  • Drudgery reduction to facilitate participation in economic development
  • Involvement in decision making process, identification of strategic gender needs and addressing them
  • Capacity building in technical skills, information sharing and leadership development
  • Formation of Self Help Groups for solidarity, awareness and motivation, addressing common problems and micro-financing.
  • Economic development: enhance abilities to contribute to family income, access to credit and assets and reduce economic dependence.
  • Staff orientation: to adopt suitable approaches to address the problems and encourage participatory development
  • Gender vigilance to ensure women’s participation in all fronts and access to benefits in training, entrepreneurship and activities of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs)

Creation of awareness among men could enlist greater support for women participation in the various development programmes. In many regions, the men have taken a path contrary to tradition, to empower the women.

 

5.4 Capacity Building

 

Subsequently, building of capabilities to create awareness, improve their skills, develop leadership and link with technologies, trade, financial institutions and local governments can empower them to take active part in socio-economic development at par with others. Such steps have led the community towards a literate and progressive society, directly benefiting every family and helped to bring the rural women as key players, into mainstream development.

 

With various women empowerment activities and training, there has been a significant increase in the confidence of women. They have developed mutual trust, social security, skills and access to technology and credit through their Self Help Groups and various People’s Organisations. The women groups have motivated the entire community to take up hygiene, sanitation, family planning and health care activities with the community. Several groups have established their grain banks to ensure food security for their members. There has been increased awareness about education for children, particularly, girls. Prevention of child marriage has been an important agenda of many Self Help Groups which has been endorsed by the other sections of the community as well.

 

6.    Azad India Foundation

 

6.1 Girl and Women Trafficking in India

 

Trafficking is defined as a trade in something that should not be traded in for various social, economic or political reasons. Thus we have terms like drug trafficking, arms trafficking and human trafficking. The concept of human trafficking refers to the criminal practice of exploiting human beings by treating them like commodities for profit. Even after being trafficked victims are subjected to long term exploitation. The crime of trafficking manifests itself through the following

 

According to a recent survey women are bought and sold with impunity and trafficked at will to other countries from different parts of India. Trafficking both for commercial sexual exploitation and for non-sex based exploitation is a transnational and complex challenge as it is an organized criminal activity, an extreme form of human rights violation and an issue of economic empowerment and social justice. The trafficking of women and children causes untold miseries as it violates the rights and dignity of the individual in several ways. It violates the individual’s rights to life, dignity, security, privacy, health, education and redressal of grievances.

 

6.2 Methods and strategies of prevention

 

The UN’s Protocol contains a number of provisions aimed at preventing trafficking. State parties are required to establish policies, programmes and other measures aimed at preventing trafficking and protecting trafficked persons from re-victimization.

 

Therefore policies, programmes and strategies that address prevention have to be unique with a focus on and an orientation towards all these issues. Strategies in all these areas have to be oriented towards the specific characteristics of the situation and the target groups.

  • The strategies should address the issues of livelihood options and opportunities by focusing on efforts to eradicate poverty, illiteracy etc. Education and other services should be oriented towards capacity building and the consequent empowerment of vulnerable groups.
  • Gender discrimination and patriarchal mindset are important constituents and catalysts of the vulnerability of women and girl children. This manifests itself inseveral serious violations of women’s rights such as high incidence of female foeticide and infanticide and the discrimination against women in healthcare, education and employment. Since these are vulnerability factors that trigger trafficking prevention strategies need to be oriented accordingly.
  • At the micro level the prevention of trafficking in the source areas requires a working partnership between the police and NGOs. Public awareness campaigns and community participation are key to prevention programmes. Prevention is best achieved by community policing.
  • Creating legal awareness is one of the most important functions of any social action programme because without legal awareness it is not possible to promote any real social activism
  • Immigration officials at the borders need to be sensitized so that they can network with the police as well as with NGOs working on preventing trafficking.
  • Help lines and help booths are very important for providing timely help to any person in distress.

 

6.3 Skill training programme for Women

 

The main aim of this programme is to enhance the quality of life of women through increased knowledge and skills. The Foundation also realized that merely imparting literacy would not be sufficient .The women need vocational training or skills also to uplift their status. They should be able to stand on their feet and provide for their families.

 

The discussions with women revealed that they are also interested in learning some skill to supplement their household income. They showed interest in learning stitching and tailoring. Foundation opened six vocational training centers on experimental basis. In a very short duration of six months most of the women have become proficient in basic cutting and stitching. The credit goes to the students and the teachers who again from the community are taking tremendous interest and teaching with their full dedication. After successful completion of the course, they will be encouraged to get bank loans to start their own business.

 

7.    Bhartiya Samruddhi Investments & Consulting Services Ltd

 

BASIX is a livelihood promotion institution established in 1996, working with over a 3.5 million customers, over 90% being rural poor households and about 10% urban slum dwellers. BASIX works in 18 states – Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Tamilnadu, Rajasthan, Bihar, Chattisgarh, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Assam, Gujrat and Jammu & Kashmir, 223 districts and over 39,251 villages. The BASIX Social Enterprise Group has been working internationally for over ten years 

 

BASIX mission is to promote a large number of sustainable livelihoods, including for the rural poor and women, through the provision of financial services and technical assistance in an integrated manner.

 

7.1 Services

 

BASIX strategy is to provide a comprehensive set of livelihood promotion services which inlcude Financial Inclusion Services (FINS), Agricultural / Business Development Services (Ag/BDS) and Institutional Development Services (IDS) to rural poor households under one umbrella.

 

8.    Women Empowerment

 

Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social or economic strength of individuals and communities. It often involves the empowered developing confidence in their own capacities.

  • Having decision-making power of their own
  • Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision
  • Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.)
  • Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making
  • Having positive thinking on the ability to make change
  • Ability to learn skills for improving one’s personal or group power
  • Ability to change others’ perceptions by democratic means.
  • Involving in the growth process and changes that is never ending and self-initiated
  • Increasing one’s positive self-image and overcoming stigma

9.      Conclusion

 

Promoting safe, flexible, female-friendly employment and workplaces for women is essential. Job opportunities are limited in the villages, but women generally have been reluctant to seek employment outside of their villages. Finding ways to make work and married life with children more compatible should be an important policy priority. NGOs and the government must work with employers to create job appropriate for women’s needs. Providing transportation for women from the villages to work will ease women’s (and their families’) concerns for their safety. Flexible hours or part-time work that suits women’s responsibilities at home will encourage more women to participate in the workforce. Women’ economic empowerment not only depends on the availability of jobs but also on ensuring protective working environments. Hence, NGOs and the government should work with the private and public sector to improve working conditions and the treatment of female workers and workers in general.

you can view video on WOMEN AND LIVELIHOOD

 

Web links

  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Livelihood
  • http://www.azadindia.org/social-issues/WomenTrafficking-in-India.html
  • http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Articles_Women_Empowerment.html
  • http://www.basixindia.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=228&Itemid=231
  • http://www.pwescr.org/women_and_livelihoods.pdf
  • https://www.unicef.org/protection/57929_58008.html
  • www.baif.org.in/…Women/Women%20Empowerment%20Approach%20Paper.doc
  • www.baif.org.in/doc/…of_Women/Women%20Emp-MAVIM%20April%202005
  • http://tide-india.org/women-and-livelihood/ https://www.ifad.org/documents/30600024/9cc7a558-a038-4630-a5fc-bdf00c881a33 http://www.marxist.com/women-and-capitalism.htm
  • https://www.bicc.de/fileadmin/Dateien/Publications/other_publications/other71/GRAWERT-Making_a_living_Chap5.pdf
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Humiliation
  • ttps://www.soas.ac.uk/cedep-demos/000_P530_RD_K3736-Demo/unit1/page_23.htm