Engaging with Gender Equity - Dimensions, Manifestations and Perceptions: Experience of Gram Vikas Engaging with Gender Equity - Dimensions, Manifestations and Perceptions: Experience of Gram Vikas
Author: R.V.Jayapadma
Design: Communique
©Gram Vikas, Orissa, 2007
Gram Vikas is a rural development organisation working with the poor and marginalised communities of Orissa since 1979, towards making sustainable improvements in the quality of life of the rural poor. www.gramvikas.org ENGAGING WITH GENDER EQUITY – DIMENSIONS, MANIFESTATIONS AND PERCEPTIONS: EXPERIENCES OF GRAM VIKAS, ORISSA, INDIA
R.V.Jayapadma
Abstract
Concerns about gender equity have been at the fore of discussions and analysis of NGO interventions and action since the ’70s. Gender equity as equal rights to access, opportunity and participation for men and women has always stood out as a distinct feature in the programmes of Gram Vikas, one of the leading NGOs in Orissa, India. Conscious efforts to identify and address these began in the mid-80s. These efforts have at times been intense and focussed, at other times intuitive and seemingly random. All along, however, there have been several initiatives which demonstrate discernable efforts to create a level playing field between women and men in the communities and within the organisation. There have been resistances and challenges to several of these interventions, and while some of them have embedded themselves to create lasting impact, some efforts have been mere flash in the pan, with limited effect. This article documents the experiences Gram Vikas in promoting gender equity among the rural communities it works with and within the organisation.
Key words: Gender equity, rural communities, NGOs
Engaging with Gender Equity | 3 Engaging with Gender Equity – Dimensions, Manifestations And Perceptions: Experiences of Gram Vikas, Orissa, India
1.0 INTRODUCTION as the communities they engage with. This paper documents the experiences of Gram Vikas, an NGO Whenever an organization intervenes in the working in the state of Orissa, India, in engaging life of a community it has the on-going choice with issues of gender equity, as to whether to challenge or support existing community gender-related norms (Rao, 2003). 2.0 THE ORGANISATION AND ITS MISSION Concerns about gender equity have been at Gram Vikas in its mission states that it works ‘to the fore of discussions and analysis of NGO promote processes which are sustainable, socially interventions and action since the ’70s. Most inclusive and gender equitable, to enable critical NGO responses and action have largely focussed masses of poor and marginalized rural people or on gender issues within rural communities. Over communities to achieve a dignified quality of life’. time there is a transition from being gender-blind A non-partisan rural development organization to varying degrees of gender-sensitiveness, as working in Orissa, one of the poorest states demonstrated in strategies, processes, programme in India, Gram Vikas was registered under the interventions and outcomes. The process of social Societies Act 1860 on January 22, 1979. It reaches transformation is slow and arduous and NGOs out to over 30,000 families in the hinterlands of continue to face the challenge of ‘institutionalising’ Orissa, of whom 40% are from Scheduled Castes these processes, as they ‘withdraw’ or their role and Scheduled Tribes. Rooted in poverty and within the communities diminishes. entrenched in patriarchal systems, the levels of In recent years, questions have been raised gender inequity vary among these communities. about the behaviour of NGOs themselves, and Gram Vikas’ founding team was led by Joe Madiath, gender issues ‘within’ have come to the fore. It who in response to the refugee crisis in the aftermath is acknowledged that to be effective engines of of the Bangladesh war of independence (1971) led social change, power hierarchies and institutional a group of volunteers called the Young Students biases embedded within organizations, need to Movement for Development, Chennai to work in be understood, questioned and changed. A lot the refugee camps. This was followed closely by of effort has gone into building knowledge, skills relief action after a devastating cyclone ravaged and attitudes of staff working with NGOs as well
4 | Engaging with Gender Equity coastal Orissa. Following these experiences, a few were organised to settle the debts. For the first time volunteers from YSMD and some local youth came in decades people experienced what it was to be together and dedicated themselves to work with free, to be in control, once more, of their destinies. rural communities, especially the underprivileged This initial work with the tribals of Kerandimal in the hinterlands of Orissa, leading to the eventual created the space for Gram Vikas to launch long founding of Gram Vikas. term development programmes among them. The Gram Vikas is today one of the largest NGOs in establishment of secure livelihoods and income Orissa (in terms of outreach, budget and staff) sources was a key necessity and tribal people, and is recognised nationally and internationally mostly men, were linked with banks for small for its pioneering work in community mobilisation loans. People were also encouraged to start small and rural development. Gram Vikas currently savings – both women and men got involved in has over 500 full time staff, and over 1000 this. Conscious efforts to understand the gender volunteers (paid and unpaid) at the village level. Its dynamics or make targeted efforts were limited. operations are spread across 20 field offices in 15 By the early-80s Gram Vikas was working with a backward districts of Orissa. The field teams are range of interventions among the tribal people in supported by teams in administration, accounts education – for children and adults, community and PMED (Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation health, livelihoods promotion, and building people’s and Documentation). About 25% of the staff are organisations. They extended to work with tribal women, interestingly, located at all levels of the communities in other districts as well. organisation. Parallel to the work among tribal communities, the 3.0 DIMENSIONS OF ENGAGEMENT WITH RURAL other significant programme intervention of Gram COMMUNITIES Vikas in biogas promotion was initiated in the early 80s. In the beginning, however, Gram Vikas came Work was initiated in eleven tribal villages in the to do biogas almost by accident. While establishing Kerandimal hills of Ganjam district in 1975. On their base at Mohuda in 1975, there was no access making initial contact, the tribal communities to electricity. All cooking, heating and lighting needs were withdrawn and suspicious, having suffered depended on firewood. With the dung produced at decades of exploitation at the hands of ‘outsiders’. the demonstration dairy farm a biogas unit was Health conditions were very poor, and people start for their own needs. The forests in the vicinity were routinely victims of malaria, tuberculosis, were threatened by indiscriminate felling of trees, diarrhoea, etc, which often turned fatal in the both by the locals and by timber traders from the absence of timely and adequate treatment. The plains. This is when Gram Viaks decided to take Gram Vikas team made a tentative entry into these the biogas technology to the villagers as a cheap villages using health services and started treating alternative means of energy. That it improved and training people, gradually gaining acceptance women’s lives significantly was understood and and trust of the tribal people. They soon found articulated only later. Initially, it was taken up that the levels of indebtedness among the tribal mostly in the non-tribal villages where people had communities were alarmingly high. more cattle heads. Struggling to cope with a monetised economy, By the mid-80s, there were a few significant people had been reduced to bonded labour after things happening. The integrated community mortgaging everything they had – their land, trees, development work among tribal people and biogas and even their children. Gram Vikas brought people promotion had distinctly separate management from over 60 people together to fight against the structures, with little overlap and collaboration. liquor merchants and moneylenders. Women Within the organisation, the former approach were at the fore, especially in countering the liquor was construed as process oriented ‘software merchants, and resolutely opposing the making, development’ focussing on building capacities, consumption or sale of liquor in the region. After while biogas promotion was identified product- systematic surveys, using the instrument of oriented ‘hardware development’. The organisation moratorium on rural indebtedness, people’s courts itself had started growing, number of staff
Engaging with Gender Equity | 5 increased as several educated youth from the general body elects an executive committee, region joined. Local youth were also recruited as which has an equal number of men and women volunteers, facilitators at the village level. Specific and proportionate representation of different efforts were made to recruit women among the sections of the village. This forms the base of the staff to work with women at the community level. democratic governance system in the village. The The multi-faceted work among tribal communities intervention has clear plans of sustainability and and the single-focus biogas programme and were withdrawal, creating a corpus of community fund conceptualised, managed and implemented as in each village. Subsequent to water supply and different, a divide which is reflected within the sanitation systems, each community makes plans organisation even today. for its future course, leveraging resources from the government, developing watersheds, initiating 3.1 Integration of the ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ new livelihood activities, improving education and Moving on from the nascent informal operations, health. the organisation was beginning to be formalised. Through MANTRA, Gram Vikas also made an effort The organisation characteristics were being defined to bridge the divide between the biogas and tribal with the articulation of the mission/ mandate, development interventions, encompassing the definition of functional areas giving character to learning from both, putting to rest the debates on the organisation structure, and conscious efforts ‘process’ vs ‘product’ and ‘software vs ‘hardware’. to develop capacities of human resources. The In essence it was the marriage of the feminine and cultural, socio-political and technical dimensions masculine characters of Gram Vikas. of Gram Vikas were also beginning to be defined. 4. MANIFESTATIONS OF INTERVENTIONS IN A decade later in the early 90s, pilots of Gram RURAL DEVELOPMENT Vikas’ current flagship programme MANTRA were initiated, focussing on all-round community At the community level, there were proactive development using water-supply and sanitation as efforts from very early days to involve women. the rallying point to bring people together. MANTRA Specific focus was given to increasing women’s is path-breaking in its design in ensuring social participation in the Kerandimal Gana Sangathan and gender equity, which put the onus squarely in the movement against landlords and liquor on the community, but also places the burden on merchants. The women spoke out against the ill- staff to ensure that essential conditions are not effects of alcohol consumption and the absolute diluted. One of the key principles for MANTRA levels of bondage that their families found taking off in a village community is ‘all or none’ themselves in. They fired entire communities into – the initiation of Gram Vikas’ interventions is action against the injustices of the moneylenders contingent upon agreement and participation and and liquor merchants. The next action was to financial contribution by 100% of the families in undertake ‘social forestry’ where the drudgery each village habitation. Even if one family backs faced by women in collecting fuel and food from out, the programme will not be initiated, and it is the fast receding forests was a key concern. To upto the villagers to resolve conflicts and ensure ensure that they had control over the management there is 100% consensus throughout planning and of these forests, women tended a separate portion implementation of the programme. The experiential of the forest as their own, keeping careful watch, learning in the process of working together cutting distributing benefits equally among themselves. across barriers of gender, caste and class sets the Afforestation through social forestry programmes stage for a new social dynamic to be created in the and kitchen garden initiatives have improved village. access to fuels and nutritional intake of the family. The village general body is formed with all adult There was also the realisation that special efforts women and men in the village. In the initial stages needed to be made to direct loans for income there are separate general bodies for women generation activities to women, else it would be and men, to allow women to develop confidence entirely cornered by men and often not utilised to articulate their needs and concerns. The appropriately, nor repaid in time. The idea of self-
6 | Engaging with Gender Equity help groups exclusively for women was mooted The toilet and bathing room apart from creating an around this time. environment of sanitation, for the first time gave women the privacy where they no longer had to Biogas, along with water and sanitation are both wait for the cover of dark to relieve themselves or programmes explicitly aimed at reducing the clean themselves surreptitiously. Young daughters drudgery for rural women. With biogas, women were soon asking their parents to get them married no longer had to breathe in lung-fuls of smoke only into villages which had similar facilities. while cooking or spend days fetching fuel-wood. Most importantly by fostering good health in Similarly, piped water supply to each house the community, these technologies reduce the ensured that women did not spend a better part of women’s burden as care givers as well. the day fetching water for household needs. Gram To reach out to women who were primary Vikas’ intervention in sanitation and water supply users of the biogas stove, a mobile women’s is perhaps the only one which insists on delivery unit established, connecting female workers to of piped water to individual toilets, bathrooms and household members, ensuring an open exchange kitchens. of skills and information regarding the use and maintenance of technology. The effort, however, was grounded after a short run, because it was A tale of toilets, water and women resource intensive, but also because women were given a jeep to travel, and this idea was not The learning came from the early days when acceptable to the male staff. they had tried to build pour-flush toilets where water had to be fetched from stand-posts Building skills to redefine traditional roles shared by every 5-10 families. The burden of fetching water from the stand posts and While a large part of the construction work cleaning the toilets fell quite naturally on the relied on men working as masons, and women women, most often the young daughter in- assisting as unskilled labourers, Gram Vikas law. Over a few days cracks started appearing initiated work in a few villages where women were also trained in the construction and in the toilet-pans making them unusable. maintenance of biogas plants. Later, in course Investigations revealed that the young women of the water supply and sanitation and housing were deliberately throwing stones into the pans, programmes, there was more systematic not relishing the idea of fetching water to clean training of women in construction. Initially the shit of all the household members. Water hesitant, fearing ridicule, a small group of twenty supply through pipelines, with tap connections women came forward in 2000 to undergo in every toilet was an effective solution for the training as masons. The women were quick to problem. Further, wherever possible, it was pick up the skills. Yet, they were dependent on ensured that this would be available 24 hours Gram Vikas to keep them employed as masons, of the day, eliminating the need to store water else they tended to slip back to working as in the houses. unskilled labourers. The market was not ready to The initial design contained only a stand accept women masons, and women themselves alone toilet for every family. Bathing, washing, needed to develop greater confidence to work outside as ‘masons’. Gram Vikas consciously etc still happened at the village pond or well, gave the women masons a gradual public often together with the livestock. Women were exposure, in the course of constructing public circumspect in cleaning themselves in public. buildings, invited by the government to re-build The addition of a bathing room to the toilet schools after the cyclone in 1999. Working as created the necessary privacy and increased masons also required women to be mobile, their sense of dignity and well-being. and soon they were taking small loans to buy The additional import of these experiences bicycles. Over 500 women have been trained was that it was essential to consult and involve as masons so far, and working in small groups, women in planning, implementation and review they have been able to find work locally. They of projects else failure was imminent. serve as role models to other women now.
Engaging with Gender Equity | 7 One of the early actions of Gram Vikas is to bring ensuring that all children attend school regularly, together all women in the village forming the the teachers come regularly, participating in women’s general body – the mahila samiti. The parent teachers meetings and help in accessing mahila samiti is commonly an aggregation of self- facilities for the school locally and from the Block help groups of 10-15 members, on the basis of Office. There is special focus in ensuring that all household clusters or hamlets. The mahila samiti girl children attend school. Pre school centers and self help groups are the main channels through (balwadis) ensure that older siblings (mostly which Gram Vikas supports women’s economic girls) are not burdened with care and support of and socio-cultural right to self-determination. The younger children. The residential schools of Gram mahila samiti is often the first space where women Vikas offer free education for tribal girl children to come together and discuss issues of common encourage more girls to study upto high school. concern, and find their own solutions. Women’s The self help groups and mahila samiti help women groups go beyond the narrow definition of working take small and tentative steps in self-assertion on savings and credit, and take up social action within the household and in the community. including addressing polygamy, early marriage, Slowly their confidence increases till they are alcohol abuse, wife beating, wage inequities, able to actively participate in collective decision etc. Women come together to hold rallies and making. The self-help groups help in creating demonstrations spanning surrounding villages. spaces for women in largely uncontested domains. Rampaging home breweries in the village vicinity, The creation of these separate spaces for women, demanding for the protection of the law against are critical to their subsequent integration with illegal alcohol merchants, demanding at the block the collaborative spaces with men, where for the office to stop giving licenses for the brewing and first time they sit on a common platform and sale of alcohol are some of the tactics utilised by begin to voice their opinion on a public platform the women in their effort to rid their community of on issues related to the community. This by itself this menace. is a significant first step, marking a fundamental The savings-credit and self help groups are transformation in the social organisation of rural supported to take on management of their communities. functions and augment their incomes through Gram Vikas’ norms stipulate participation of all various activities based on local resources and adult women and men in the village general body, skill. Internal credit is encouraged and there is equal representation of men and women in all high turnover of funds in most groups. These village committees, and at least 30% of the office groups also gradually replace the dependence on bearers as women. Conscious efforts are made moneylenders and make money available in the to bring men on board with these efforts. The time of need at reasonable rates. Several groups response varies across villages, depending on the are linked with bank credit and matching grant leadership and initiative of both men and women support which has helped spur the economic to allow women to participate in the public domain. activity and finances of women. Support in terms In some villages, the participation is limited to of management trainings, trainings for income Gram Vikas’ programmes, while in others, it has generating activities, leadership development, transcended to a deeper and more permanent exposure to other groups in other villages etc are change. The leadership in these villages, and their all part of the capacity building activities that we ability to be inclusive, to function in a democratic carry out in order to make the groups self reliant manner and resolve conflicts is recognised and and sustainable. reflected in neighbouring villages and in the The groups are also capacitated to work together functioning of the Panchayats. with the anganwadis, auxiliary nurse , midwife 5.0 BUILDING A GENDERED ENVIRONMENT and public health centers in immunization ‘WITHIN’ coverage, care of expectant mothers, running drug distribution centers etc. Women are also taking up Within the organisation itself, the first recorded responsibilities in monitoring the village schools, capacity building workshop for women staff was
8 | Engaging with Gender Equity conducted in 1985. This was driven by increasing the gender process. Over the year, an inclusive number of women being recruited for interventions gender policy was drafted. The process of drafting in community mobilisation, education, health, etc. the gender policy involved several people in Women staff were also encouraged and exhorted to the organisation across field and office teams, take on greater responsibilities. Working in remote programmes and projects. areas, security of all staff, especially women, was an area of concern, and special efforts were made to ensure it. Some measures included organising Gender Policy of Gram Vikas appropriate separate accommodation for men and women in field offices, ensuring women staff were accompanied when they visited remote villages, or The goal of Gram Vikas’ Gender Policy is to travelled at late hours. promote equality between women and men, enabling them to become active partners in the Sporadic efforts at sensitisation of staff on gender process towards the achievement of dignified issues were carried out in meetings and workshops. quality of life and the transformation of society. By and large, however, gender was understood, The gender policy serves as orientation and by both men and women, as a stand alone issue, support in the achievement of the following concerning women. In 1992, a Women’s cell objectives: was formed to encourage women staff to come together and discuss issues of common concern. • Enhance women’s and men’s equal A series of workshops were held for women staff. participation in the sustainable process There was initial interest and enthusiasm, but towards a dignified quality of life gradually the effort tapered, as several women felt • Empower women to realise their full uncomfortable that the process was too intrusive potential as human beings and actors in into their personal lives and behaviours. Men in the development at par with men organisation felt further alienated in the process as well. Over a year, the Women’s Cell closed as the prime movers left the organisation. In addition to the gender policy there was also In 1993, the first joint gender sensitisation a definition of ‘mechanisms and structures’ workshop was organised and in 1994, a report for promotion of gender equality within rural documenting the efforts in working with gender communities issues at Gram Vikas was prepared. The Women’s Cell and the documentation were supported by the Ford Foundation. Unfortunately, there were limited Mechanisms and structures for efforts to work on the findings of the report and the promotion of gender incorporate them into subsequent planning and activities in Gram Vikas, primarily because there 1. Any formal or informal structure will have was no one at the time to take it forward. at least 40% women members. In all mixed groups, at least one of the elected office Over the next few years efforts in addressing gender bearers will be a woman. issues were again sporadic with a few trainings here and there. There were no systematic efforts 2. Each village, area and project should have a to integrate gender in planning. Intuitively, however, women only committee to provide a space for efforts to integrate women in community level women to share and to promote leadership. interventions continued, under a predominantly Village level women committees (e.g. self male leadership. help grpouSHG, VEC) would meet monthly, area level meetings every two months, and In 2000 there was a return to consciously at project level meetings quarterly. understanding and addressing gender issues. The process was triggered by the deputation of a facilitator from SDC to Gram Vikas to facilitate
Engaging with Gender Equity | 9 3. To facilitate these women’s meeting, to Guiding principles for encourage open discussion and to promote gender equality, we propose to place one gender sensitive planning women staff at project level, responsible for • People – both women and men – need to be gender and one additional programme (e.g. in the centre of planning and decision making, SHG, saving and credit, health, agriculture). as they are the main responsible for the implementation of the project and long-term 4. Residential schools should have a minimum management and maintenance of the assets of 50% girl students created. 5. At village level schools, 100% enrolment and • Gender sensitive planning means, that both attendance of boys and girls is targeted. women and men are consulted and involved 6. All SHG/ Saving and Credit Groups need in the planning process – together, or where- to be managed by the group members ever needed in separate groups (because themselves. This is especially important for women may not be used to or too shy to talk women’s groups and should be supported by in mixed groups). respective capacity building. • Gender does not mean to design “women’s 7. In all capacity building and skill development programmes” of to tackle “women’s problems”, (agriculture, horticulture, veterinary, animal but to involve both women and men in project husbandry, Leadership, etc.) activities, planning and implementation, and to ensure, women and men should be given the same that both benefit from the project intervention. opportunities. • It needs to be considered that interests 8. Financial and technical support (in agriculture, and objectives of men and women may be horticulture, livestock, sanitation etc.) needs common, while some may be different, related to be given to both women and men. to the gender division of labour and gender 9. Large loans will be given in both husband’s access to/ control over resources. and wife’s name. Loans, which the women Questions to ask: utilise, must be given in her name. • Who is the target (both direct and indirect) 10. If Gram Vikas supports a family to get of the proposed project? Who will benefit? government land, the patta should be given Who will lose? If the “family” is the target: will in both names. both women and men, girls and boys, benefit 11. Gender and social issues should be regular equally? E.g. from housing, land improvement, agenda points at the monthly review and pond work, etc. planning meetings, at staff meetings and • Does the project intervention confirm or village meetings challenge the existing gender division of labour, tasks, responsibilities and opportunities? E.g. A series of gender awareness and sensitisation who does the manual work, who supervises, workshops were organised for staff and who learns new skills? community members. For the first time, there were • Development interventions may have different specified codes in ensuring that gender concerns implications for women and men (agriculture, were addressed in all interventions at the field level. social forestry, water sanitation), which has to This was followed up quickly by a series of ‘gender be considered. If negative impacts on women workshops’ to identify key areas of concern and or men may be anticipated (e.g. increased prepare action plans. Guiding principles for gender workload, loss of control over resources, only sensitive planning were also defined, together with men learn new skills, etc.), what activities strategies and measurable indicators. These were can be planned to counter-balance these embedded within the planning, monitoring and perceived impacts? documentation system.
10 | Engaging with Gender Equity To ensure the continuity of these processes, the may have lived only a short distance away. Guiding principles for planning and monitoring systems were reviewed Typically, young women after a period of and re-defined. Together with this, bi-annual gender training and orientation, and gradually taking on reports were prepared, analysing gender-dis- responsibilities, get married and leave. Younger aggregated data from field projects. Discussions of women join, and they take time to grow in the gender issues were backed by empirical data and organisation. The middle level in Gram Vikas not intuitive awareness alone. Initially threatened therefore faces a serious deficit of women, a gap and defensive, field staff gradually acknowledged which is hard to fill. the data. This led to a great deal of questioning and introspection and provided new insights for At the field level, while male and female staff strategising and initiating clearly directed efforts in evenly handle community mobilisation, men addressing issues of gender equity. typically handle the physical activities, including construction of toilet, bathing rooms, water Inspite of these processes in embedding gender supply systems, houses, digging wells and ponds, within the organisation, it has always been difficult securing government funding, etc, while women to sustain, since working on this has always engage with the ‘softer areas’ of bringing women necessitated additional effort in collating, analysing out of their homes, organising savings and credit and understanding data. By and large field staff do groups, talking about health and education issues, not consider this their primary responsibility to etc. This divide is also seen in identifying staff for collect and analyse data and feels it takes away capacity building programmes. Men dominate time and energy from the ‘main activities’. in training programmes for livelihoods activities, 5.1 Challenging stereotypes and nurturing human leadership programmes – at the community and resources staff levels, while women are sent to savings and credit trainings, or capacity building in health and It is significant to note that there are women in all education. These contradictions are discussed in positions in the field and office, and no position is gender awareness and sensitisation workshops necessarily occupied by men only. The profile of and reasons sought. The most crucial reason Managers indicates that since the 90s, 30-50% for differences in participation at the community have been women at any point in time. When this level is one of logistics. Training programmes are is extended to include field project coordinators, held usually at the head office or project office it becomes sharply skewed towards men (>90%). and 1-2 women from every village are invited. It is Taking account of all staff at the field and office, unthinkable for unmarried girls or married young about 25% are women. women to travel on their own to project offices and There are constant efforts to increase the number worse, stay there overnight. So even if women did of women staff at all levels. There are several come it would be the older women, who played limitations, especially given the nature of work little role in using or sharing the skill back in the which involves travelling to and living in remote villages. There have been efforts to change the rural areas with poor facilities (often no toilets design whereby 2-3 women from each village can or water on tap, no electricity, etc) and limited participate, or identifying suitable locations which connectivity (no roads, telephones, etc). Families are closer to the villages so that they can travel. of young women and often the women themselves, Often the season in which the training programme with their protective upbringing are reluctant is organised determines who participates, in to work in such areas, even though assurance synchrony with the livelihoods activities based and adequate support for accommodation and agriculture, forests, etc. security are provided. Proactive efforts have also In recent years there have been efforts to involve been made to recruit women from the local areas, and assign roles to men and women staff on limiting the levels of uncertainty or apprehension the basis of their skills and abilities rather than they might have. Even these efforts have been able stereotypical division of functions, but these are to attract very few women, for whom rural areas few and far between. The reasoning is that male are still far away and unknown, even though they staff cannot talk to or interact with women because
Engaging with Gender Equity | 11 of traditional customs and practices (many women and women. Discussions on gender are often in rural areas still wear the veil). Where there are no referred to as ‘danger’ – a play of letters, conveying female staff, male staff attempt to perform their an inherent reluctance towards acknowledging roles, but they are constrained both in their abilities gender issues or taking action. and willingness to do justice to it, since a large part Informal discussions with male staff reveal that the involves investing time and energies in drawing way gender sensitisation workshops are conducted women in the villages out to meetings, to voice and the entire discourse on dominance by men and their opinions and to exercise their authority. Often discrimination of women unfolds and customs an easier argument is put forward that women and patriarchal relations are challenged, creates a staff are more comfortable doing what they do, sense of threat, alienation and withdrawal. There and not interested in handling construction issues is greater emphasis on ‘women’s empowerment’ involving organising materials, labour, making large rather than on ‘gender equity’. There is no follow-up payments, etc. in terms of enabling men or women to deal with One female and one male staff are associated these dilemmas and helping them to bring about in most villages where Gram Vikas works. The changes. There are no clear follow-up plans. Going female is in most cases younger and newer to the back to ‘work as usual’ after the workshop, old organisation. In a majority of cases, the female behaviours and attitudes are perpetuated. staff end up ‘assisting’ the male staff in matters 6.0 ISSUES IN INSTITUTIONALISING GENDER related to work, but also in areas like preparing EQUITY food, cleaning the office space, etc. Neither feels Gram Vikas has some well directed programmes that this division is un-natural or objectionable. addressing women’s physical needs in rural areas, Discussion of gender issues during sensitisation freeing them from the drudgery of daily chores. workshops have led to an acknowledgement of The stage is also set for women to step out of their these, but have triggered only marginal changes in houses into the public domain. How well women subsequent attitudes and relations/ transactions capitalise these spaces, and how far men are willing between men and women in the organization. to allow them has depended to a large extent on the Gram Vikas also has to periodically deal with the preparedness and initiative of communities and at issues arising from relationships’ and ‘affairs’ times the hand-holding and inducement provided between young male and female staff working in by Gram Vikas staff working in those areas. The the same village (or at times relations between seeds for transformation are sown, but beyond staff and villagers). Intervening or mediating this the process survives and thrives, largely on in such cases has always been fraught with a the nurturing provided by local conditions. Gram great deal of anxiety and secrecy. Such cases Vikas has no clearly defined process for following unfortunately are not discussed in public. There through into creating lasting social change. have been suggestions that there should be clear The strength of Gram Vikas’ interventions is the guidance for moral behaviour expected from Gram involvement of women and men of all sections Vikas staff and periodic discussion, especially of the community from the very beginning, and during induction of new staff. These however have the close link of people-centred community not taken root. Responses therefore have been on development and women’s empowerment. a case to case basis, with the net result often being The satisfaction of women’s practical gender that there is inherent reluctance to recruiting and needs, especially easy access to clean water, posting female staff to remote areas. sanitation/privacy, fuelwood and opportunities Perhaps the greatest stumbling block in for income generation, are embedded in an overall mainstreaming gender has been triggering community programme and vision – and is not fundamental changes in attitudes, beliefs and an isolated women’s programme. The provision values of staff, who hail come from deeply of infrastructure for individual benefits is closely entrenched patriarchal upbringing themselves. linked to the development of the community as The resistances to change are rarely explicit, but whole, individual gains with community gains, the implicit challenges are evident, both in men each reinforcing each other. 12 | Engaging with Gender Equity From the perspective of village women and men, enter other spaces of decision making, but the pace the most important and most visible change in is set largely by the communities, with Gram Vikas gender relations that took place in villages where making very little proactive efforts in this regard. Gram Vikas intervenes is that in four to five years A second major change is seen in the interaction there are changes in the interaction between of women with outsiders. Women’s mobility is women and men at community level, with women increased. The first step toward these changes pro-actively participating in village meetings and had to be taken by men, by allowing their wives to community development. This happened in a step outside the traditional confines. Due to these gradual process with the women first coming new interactions, women learn new things, their together separately, gaining confidence and then horizon is enlarged, they grow in confidence, and participating in a common meeting with men. In thus enrich the discussions in the meetings and an environment where men and women sitting on the development of the village. the same mat and women showing their face to older men are considered taboo, sitting and jointly The mechanisms and structures set up to promote discussing on issues of common concern is seen equal participation are powerful tools to sustain the as a big step forward in triggering change in social implementation of gender-balanced programmes relations. (insistence on 100% coverage, 50% participation of women, establishment of women only saving groups and introducing women supervisors). Changing attitudes, Though these mechanisms may be implemented changing relations in a mechanical manner, but they guarantee a bottom line: women are addressed and involved in A villager expressed that earlier the men the programme. were thinking that women couldn’t do anything. But now, seeing that women are Gram Vikas through its various interventions taking equal responsibilities, the men are creates an encouraging environment for women convinced that women can do it. Another to develop their skills, self-confidence and self- village leader famously commented - “So esteem. The programme may be the only platform, now women will wear pants and go out of which allows women to come out to participate in the house and men will wear bangles and community development, in which they develop stay at home”. His wife went on to become new outlooks and behaviours. Thus it contributes leader of the women’s group. Questioned to women’s empowerment, with a potential of again on his comment after a few years, he gradually leading towards a change in power refused to admit to what he said with the relations. comment – “this is a village and a hunder With the increased participation of women in people will say a hundred different things. community development, women are venturing This is the 21st century after all – women into “men’s domain”. Their contribution, however, should have the same opportunities as men. does not seem to be accompanied by increased You see, the root of all problems is illiteracy control over resources or involvement in decision- – once that is addressed things will change.” making. Little to nothing is known about possible changes in gender relations within the family, about intra-household collaboration and conflict. The Deep rooted and fundamental change takes many capacity to make and enforce decisions is a form years, but with the thawing of relations, the stage of bargaining power, and it is seen as a function is set for transformation. Women’s participation of different factors: 1) access to and control over initially is limited to Gram Vikas sponsored resources, especially land, 2) access to income, 3) interventions, rather than extending to include all access to community resources such as common aspects of community development. “Women sit village land or forest land, 4) access to traditional together with men in Gram Vikas meetings, but not social support systems, and 5) access to state otherwise” – a villager remarked. Gradually women support or support by an NGO.
Engaging with Gender Equity | 13 In spite of many changes in attitude and The consciousness and questioning of gender behaviour, and with women venturing into new issues has also been kept alive by donor fields, the traditional gender division of labour organisations and board members. On both and responsibilities is largely confirmed: men occasions that systematic work was initiated in take charge of construction, accessing resources Gram Vikas, the prime movers were donors - Ford from the government, etc., while the responsibility Foundation in the 90s and SDC in 2000. This for cleaning and hygiene is laid in the hands of process was in itself reflective of the growing women. In saving groups, women discuss saving, consciousness of gender concerns world wide. cleanliness of the village, health, immunisation, This however does not mean that the entire antenatal care, children’s education, etc. process was foisted down on Gram Vikas. While it was acknowledged in Gram Vikas that gender 6.1 Changing from within to trigger changes was important, it did not have the human or outside financial resources to work consistently on it, and The greatest constraint is the lack of sensitised and support came from the donors, for whom it was an skilled staff at Gram Vikas, most of who come from important agenda. traditional patriarchal backgrounds, which does not Interestingly, Gram Vikas has also over a period believe in gender equality. Gender sensitization and of time instituted external evaluations of its awareness processes, while building knowledge programmes and activities. These evaluations and skills, and influencing overt attitudes, have have also played a critical role in the articulation stopped short of triggering fundamental changes of gender concerns. In the external evaluation in individual and organisational behaviour. instituted in 2001, Gram Vikas invited a gender Engineering these deep changes in organisations specialist to specifically provide feedback on need time and the right kind of sustained facilitation the gender aspects of its interventions. Board which has been lacking in Gram Vikas. members, significantly, the lone woman member The concepts of gender equity and equal till 2002, consistently raised concerns about participation of men and women are new and not gender equity in Gram Vikas’ interventions and adequately understood. Interventions in gender within the organisation and made suggestions equity by and large continue to be equalised with for improvement. After the external evaluation of women’s development. 2001, there were conscious efforts to induct more Analysis and reflection on gender concerns on women into the Board, and women’s membership a continuing basis have been championed by a currently ranges between 30-50%. few people in the organization, usually women in The gender sensitisation of Gram Vikas staff leadership positions and once they leave the rigour is crucial for the promotion of gender equality. in analysing gender concerns has taken a back Capacity development in conceptual clarity, gender seat. For the rest of the organisation and others analysis techniques and gender-sensitive planning in leadership positions gender is important but methodology needs to go along with awareness not ‘top priority’. At the same time, not all women creation. It is a long-term process, without quick in senior positions in the organisation have been results to be seen, but without it, the objectives in champions of gender issues, and not all men gender cannot be achieved. indifferent either.
14 | Engaging with Gender Equity 7.0 CONCLUSION Gram Vikas has specifically formulated strategies initially restricted to the areas where Gram Vikas’ to promote gender equality and transform existing intervention spans, and progress is slow once the unequal gender relations in rural communities. initial intervention is complete and Gram Vikas This has been done through: staff withdraw. • promotion of equal participation of women Critical in this process are the change agents - the and men in community activities and decision staff of Gram Vikas. A majority of the staff come making, from traditional middle-class rural families who • empowerment of women, through creation inherently do not believe in the equality of women of separate spaces, and a gradual integration and men, and to whom the concepts of women’s into the collaborative space where they can empowerment and gender equality are alien. From meaningfully participate. the point of view of an organization intervening to change institutionalised norms, change must • involving men, which is a necessary component happen in two places - outside the organization for the transformation of existing relations. and within. It goes beyond building knowledge, • nurturing knowledge, skill and attitudes as well skills and attitude to transformation in individual as influencing beliefs and values of staff, who are and organisational behaviour. critical ‘change agents’ in facilitating the process In Gram Vikas’ experience, it is essential to embed of transformation within rural communities. gender consciousness within all programmes and Gram Vikas undertakes social mobilisation around processes rather than view gender as a stand- a range of techno-managerial interventions alone intervention. Discussions on issues of directed at improving the quality of life creating gender-equity need to be sensitively facilitated, a threshold ‘quality of life’ for rural communities. with an understanding of local cultures and idioms, Interestingly these interventions have a direct without alienating or creating further divides and impact on reducing the daily drudgery of women. prejudices. In understanding gender differences In meeting some basic needs, these interventions and in the process of challenging fundamental form rallying points to elicit the participation of beliefs and values, participants, especially men the entire community, and especially the women. often feel threatened and withdraw. It is essential to Through a gradual process of capacity building, recognise these signs and find ways of addressing addressing issues of literacy, health, livelihoods these tensions. Among staff there is also an and governance, a transformative process is apprehension about balancing gender issues unleashed in the villages. within sectoral interventions and the emphasis It is not very clear how much of these changes on processes while reaching for targets. Whilst reflect at the family level, but a dent is made in the some feel that dealing with gender issues makes prevailing social balance: norms are questioned, their work more complex, others think it makes it roles are re-defined. Sometimes change happens more effective by linking actions to the realities so imperceptibly that it is difficult to see it happen. of women and men. Addressing gender concerns Where the organisation still faces a challenge is is very process intensive, requiring investment of in addressing more deep-rooted social concerns vast amounts resources – human and financial. and gender differences, discrimination based on These processes need continuous steering and caste, economic status, etc. The change is also nurturing, and sustained leadership commitment.
Engaging with Gender Equity | 15 References 1. Ahmed, Sara (2003) Engendering organizational en Orissa, in Verschuur, Christine et Fenneke practice in NGOs – the case of Utthan, in Roper Reysoo (eds.) Genre, pouvoirs et justice sociale, Laura, Jethro Pettit, and Deborah Eade (eds.) Cahiers genre et developpement no.4, iued-efi, Development and the Learning organisation, pp Geneve, pp. 227-234 58-75 7. Jayapadma RV (2004) Building dignity not 2. Fowler, Alan (1997) Striking a balance, Earthscan toilets!, Basin news, 26, pp. 4-6 publications Ltd, London 8. Macdonald, Mandy, Ellen Sprenger, Ireen Dubel 3. Gram Vikas (2001) Gram Vikas policy on gender (1997) Gender and organisational change: equality: Orissa, Gram Vikas Bridging the gap between policy and practice, 4. Gram Vikas (2002) Dare to dream – Report of the Royal Tropical Institute - Amsterdam external evaluation of the development activities 9. Rao, Aruna (2006) Making Institutions Work for of Gram Vikas with poor and marginalised Women, Development, 49 (1), pp. 63-67 people in the hinterland of Orissa: Orissa, Gram 10. Rao, Aruna and David Kelleher (2003) Vikas Institutions, Organizations and Gender 5. Goetz, Anna Marie (1997) Making organisational Equality in an era of Globalisation, Gender and change: the ‘gendered’ organisation of space Development 11(1), pp. 142-149 and time, Gender and Development, 5(1), pp. 17- 11. Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation 27 (2005) Towards gender equality – Capitalization 6. Jayapadma RV and LT Johnson (2003) Créer des of SDC experience in gender mainstreaming: espaces de changement des relations de genre Berne, SDC dans les communautés rurales patriarcales
Engaging with Gender Equity - Dimensions, Manifestations and Perceptions: Experience of Gram Vikas
Gram Vikas Mohuda Village, Berhampur Orissa 760002, INDIA
Phone : + 680 2261863-74 Fax : +91 680 2264862 www.gramvikas.org
16 | Engaging with Gender Equity Engaging with Gender Equity - Dimensions, Manifestations and Perceptions: Experience of Gram Vikas
Gram Vikas Mohuda Village, Berhampur Orissa 760002, INDIA
Phone : + 680 2261863-74 Fax : +91 680 2264862 www.gramvikas.org
Engaging with Gender Equity | 17