Working Paper June 2011 No. 173 Supporting civic activism among chronically poor women: to what extent can multidimensional women’s microfinance groups help? Rachel Amosu Jin Woo Kim Coleen McMillon Robertha Reid What is Chronic Poverty? The distinguishing feature of chronic poverty is extended duration in absolute poverty. Therefore, chronically poor people always, or usually, live below a poverty line, which is normally defined in terms of a money indicator (e.g. consumption, income, etc.), but could also be defined in terms of wider or subjective aspects of deprivation. This is different from the transitorily poor, who move in and out of poverty, or only occasionally fall below the poverty line. Chronic Poverty Research Centre www.chronicpoverty.org ISBN: 978-1-906433-75-8 Supporting civic activism among chronically poor women: to what extent can multidimensional women’s microfinance groups help? Acknowledgements Many people have contributed to this research report. We are grateful to Rokeya Kabir and Omar Tarek Chowdhury, Executive Director and Director of Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS), Fahima Khanam, Executive Director of Mothers Development Society (MDS), Mashuda Khatun Shefali, Executive Director of Nari Uddug Kendra (NUK), Helmut Vega Trujillo, Director of Investigación Cultural para Educación Popular (INDICEP) and Edith Zambrana Marttinez, technical staff member also from INDICEP, who co-facilitated a number of focus groups, Sue Southerwood, who offered excellent linguistic and cultural interpretation in Cochabamba, Delfa Claros García from Oficina Jurídica para la Mujer, Francisco Lopez, Regional Director of Pro Mujer, Bony Morales and Antonia Terrazas, Director and Cochabamba Regional Director of Pro Habitat, Fabiola Céspedes Quiroga and Amanda Zabala Antezana, Director of Research and Regional Director of Crédito con Educación Rural (CRECER), for their generous support in our undertaking of the field research. Without the helpful collaboration of staff, leaders and members from BNPS, MDS, and NUK in Dhaka, Kishoreganj, and Narsingdi in Bangladesh and Coordinadora de la Mujer in La Paz, Crédito con Educación Rural (CRECER), Federación Departamental de Mujeres Campesinas Originarias Indígenas de Cochabamba "Bartolina Sisa" (FDMCCOIC-"BS") , Federación Nacional de Trabajadores Asalariadas del Hogar de Bolivia (FENATRAHOB), Instituto de Investigación Cultural para Educación Popular (INDICEP), Oficina Jurídica para la Mujer, Pro Habitat, and Pro Mujer in Cochabamba and La Paz in Bolivia, this study would not have been possible. We thank the following microfinance groups and communities in Cochabamba for their warm welcome, generosity and openness: Asociación de Mujeres Emprendedoras de Iskaypata (AMEI), Asociación de Mujeres Productoras de Vinto (APROVIN), Asociación de Mujeres Emprendadoras de Barrio Fabriles (AMEBAF), Asociación de Mujers Emprendadoras del Paso (AMEP), Asociación de Mujeres Emprendedoras Unidas (AMU) Familia María Auxiliadora, Organización Santa Bárbara, La Communidad de Cabañas. We also give our thanks to many members of the aforementioned organisations who willingly participated in our focus group interviews. Prof. Eliane Karp-Toledo, Adjunct Professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University gave generously of her time and offered valuable perspectives on our work. Dr. Agnes Quisumbing and Julia Behrman of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) made valuable comments on the qualitative methodology design and our research focus. Our special thanks go to Jessica Espey (then Research Officer at the Overseas Development Institute), who was the adviser, coordinator, and supervisor in many aspects of this research and Dr. Sean Roberts (Director and Associate Professor of International Development Studies Program at the George Washington University) who shared his insights throughout the process. 2 Supporting civic activism among chronically poor women: to what extent can multidimensional women’s microfinance groups help? Finally, we thank the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) and the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) for supporting this research as a preliminary study for future work on chronic poverty, gender, political empowerment and civic activism. Rachel Amosu, Jin Woo Kim, Colleen McMillon and Robertha Reid are Masters students at George Washington University. This paper, supported by the gender policy stream of the CPRC, was undertaken as a mandatory course requirement for the attainment of a GWU masters degree in development studies. Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Keywords: microfinance, social networks, civic activism, gender sensitivity, Bolivia, Bangladesh This document is an output from the Chronic Poverty Research Centre (CPRC) which is funded by UKaid from the UK Department for International Development (DFID) for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not necessarily those of DFID. The CPRC gratefully acknowledges DFID’s support. 3 Supporting civic activism among chronically poor women: to what extent can multidimensional women’s microfinance groups help? Contents 1 Executive summary ......................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Research findings ......................................................................................................................... 7 1.1.1 Education programmes .......................................................................................................... 7 1.1.2 Social networks ...................................................................................................................... 7 1.1.3 Political awareness and local political participation ............................................................... 7 2 Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 9 2.1 Chronic poverty and women ....................................................................................................... 10 2.2 Women's civic activism and reducing gender inequality ............................................................ 12 2.3 The importance of multidimensional microfinance programmes ................................................ 15 2.4 The link between education, social networks, political awareness and participation and civic activism ....................................................................................................................................... 17 2.4.1 Education: access to information and awareness of social issues ...................................... 17 2.4.2 Social networks and relationships ........................................................................................ 19 2.4.3 Political awareness and local political participation ............................................................. 21 3 Introduction of the study ...............................................................................................24 3.1 Study limitations .......................................................................................................................... 25 3.2 Field organisations: Bolivia ......................................................................................................... 26 3.3 Field organisations: Bangladesh ................................................................................................ 27 4 Bolivia and Bangladesh country contexts ....................................................................29 4.1 Bolivia ......................................................................................................................................... 29 4.1.1 Chronic poverty in Bolivia ..................................................................................................... 29 4.1.2 Microfinance in Bolivia ......................................................................................................... 29 4.1.3 Social and political organisation in Bolivia ........................................................................... 31 4.2 Bangladesh ................................................................................................................................. 32 4.2.1 Chronic poverty in Bangladesh ............................................................................................ 32 4.2.2 Microfinance in Bangladesh ................................................................................................. 33 4.2.3 Social and political organisation in Bangladesh ................................................................... 35 5 Research findings ..........................................................................................................37 5.1 Education .................................................................................................................................... 37 5.1.1 Case of Bolivia ..................................................................................................................... 37 5.1.2 Case of Bangladesh ............................................................................................................. 40 5.1.3 Comparison of the two countries ......................................................................................... 44 5.2 Social networks and relationships .............................................................................................