APRENDER PARA NO DEPENDER: An Analysis of Casa de la Mujer Women’s Resource Centre in Nicaragua By Samantha Blostein A Thesis Presented to The Faculty of Graduate Studies Of The University of Guelph In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts In Sociology Guelph, Ontario, Canada © Samantha Blostein, January, 2013 ABSTRACT APRENDER PARA NO DEPENDER: AN ANALYSIS OF CASA DE LA MUJER WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTRE IN NICARAGUA Samantha Blostein Advisor: University of Guelph, 2013 Professor Lisa Kowalchuk This thesis investigates an adult education program led by Casa de la Mujer, a women’s organization in San Juan del Sur in the south of Nicaragua. At this centre, women acquire vocational skills and engage in workshops about women’s rights, domestic violence awareness and sexual and reproductive health. Several gender and development scholars suggest that empowerment can be achieved through women’s informal education programs that aim to facilitate critical learning for consciousness-raising and self-awareness. This was the topic of my field research at this centre. I conducted semi-structured interviews and participant observation to gain an understanding of how those in the program feel that their participation has impacted their gendered power social relations and livelihood opportunities. My research indicates that despite facing various barriers, through the skills development and gender training programs participants of Casa de la Mujer are able to act as agents to make strategic life decisions. This thesis is dedicated to Mayra Calderón who has committed her life to promoting women’s rights in Nicaragua. Thank you Mayra and all of the women of Casa de la Mujer who supported me with my research and taught me to keep fighting for what we want to achieve. ----------------- Esta tesis esta dedicada a Mayra Calderón, quien a comprometido su vida a la promoción de los derechos de la mujer en Nicaragua. Te agradezco mucho Mayra y a todas las mujeres de La Casa de la Mujer quienes me apoyaron en mi investigación y me enseñaron a seguir luchando por lo que queremos lograr. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would foremost like to thank my brilliant Academic Advisor, Professor Lisa Kowalchuk, for her guidance and for propelling me to continuously excel, Professor Kerry Preibisch, for her critical comments and questions on my drafts, Professor Sally Humphries for her careful consideration of the details and arguments of my research, Shelagh Daly for being my Grad Mother, and Professor Vivian Shalla for her attention to my progress throughout the Master’s program. The completion of this thesis could not have been possible without the love and care of Alexzander Smith. I am deeply grateful to my friends Olivia Kijewski, Alia Ziesman, Eduardo Huesca, and Amir Mostaghim for stimulating me intellectually and helping me laugh through it all. I am filled with gratitude for my family, Arlene and Barry Blostein and Shawna Rathbun, who always ask enough questions to keep me on track and provide daily (and sometimes hourly) encouragement. I would also like to express my appreciation for the work and struggle of Mayra Calderón and all of the women of the Casa de la Mujer who shared their stories with me as an ally in the fight for women’s rights. iv Table of Contents Chapter 1: Introduction ..................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review and Conceptual Framework............................ 3 Overview of Education Policy in Nicaragua .....................................................................3 Overview of the Women’s Movement and Gender Issues in Nicaragua .......................12 Women-led organizations: Empowerment and Adult Education....................................20 Conceptualizations of Empowerment ............................................................................23 The Roots of San Juan del Sur’s Casa de la Mujer.......................................................24 Casa de la Mujer, Women’s Education, and Empowerment .........................................29 Chapter 3: Methodology.................................................................................. 32 Participant Observation..................................................................................................34 Semi-Structured Interviews............................................................................................37 Coding............................................................................................................................38 Chapter 4: Data Analysis ................................................................................ 40 Resources......................................................................................................................40 Education ...................................................................................................................40 Social Networks .........................................................................................................59 Outcomes.......................................................................................................................61 Agency...........................................................................................................................69 Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion......................................................... 83 Research Questions Addressed ....................................................................................83 Limitations and Future Research Directions..................................................................88 Implications of Research................................................................................................88 Works Cited...................................................................................................... 92 Appendix A: Interview Guide.......................................................................... 98 v Chapter 1: Introduction The purpose of the research for my Master’s thesis is to examine an adult education program led by the women’s organization, Casa de la Mujer (Women’s House), located in San Juan del Sur in the south of Nicaragua. At this centre, women acquire basic literacy, job training, and practical vocational skills. They also engage in discussions about women’s rights to control over their bodies and a life free of violence. I conducted interviews and participant observation at this centre from May – July 2011 and from February – March 2012, to gain an understanding of how those in the program feel that their participation has impacted their gendered power social relations and livelihood opportunities. This research is beneficial to the wider understanding of the relationship between empowerment and women-led organizations and will specifically add to knowledge about the impacts and outcomes of educational programs provided by women-led organizations. At present in Latin America, neoliberal policies designed to reduce countries’ financial deficits and international debt have exacerbated poverty. A severe reduction in state funded social services has intensified gender inequalities. Women are disproportionately affected by situations of poverty in which their agency is compromised by restricted access to education, abuse, and the inability to voice concerns. Specifically in Nicaragua, the neoliberal reforms that were implemented in the conservative administrations of the1990’s have led to state austerity measures, free market economic policies, increased inflation and rising levels of unemployment which have worsened gender inequality. As the FSLN came to power in 2006 abortion became criminalized in all cases, even when the pregnancy endangers the life of the mother. This has led to an increase in clandestine abortions and maternal mortality. Nicaragua is the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, after Haiti. Forty-three percent of the population lives on less than a dollar a day, and seventy-eight percent live on less than two dollars a day (Bradshaw, 2002). In Nicaragua, as a result of social service cuts that were implemented in the 1990’s, local and foreign organizations have stepped in to provide informal literacy and job training programs to low-income adults. Many of these are still running today and many new groups have emerged to deal with Nicaragua’s situation of poverty. Given women’s subordinate socioeconomic status, literacy and job training are important methods of providing them with useful life skills. Several gender and development scholars suggest that one way to achieve gender equality is through women’s informal education programs that aim to facilitate critical learning for self-awareness. This was the topic of my field research at Casa de la Mujer. By looking at the specific case study of Casa de la Mujer, my research examines the impacts of a women-led community education program in the specific context of Nicaragua. The questions that this 1 research seeks to address are: How, if at all, does Casa de la Mujer promote and facilitate women’s empowerment? How, if at all, do courses and workshops run by Casa de la Mujer promote gender transformation, characterized by a change in power relations between genders? And what factors inhibit women from accessing the programs offered by Casa de la Mujer? 2 Chapter 2: Literature Review and Conceptual Framework Overview of Education Policy in Nicaragua With backing from a large section of the populace including