Together we can: The impact of education and collective action among rural women in India

Transcription

1 Together we can: The impact of education and collective action among rural women in India September 2014, Manila Jyotsna Jha Centre for Budget & Policy Studies Shannon Maloney IFMR LEAD Kavitha D.L. Mahila Samakhya, Karnataka

2 The Proposed Research Impact evaluation of Mahila Samakhya Women s Equality Government of India sponsored programme Covers more than 1 million women in 40,000 villages across 10 Indian states Does the Mahila Samakhya approach help women achieve economic empowerment? Cluster randomised controlled trial Household survey across 144 villages 6000 households Two Indian states: Bihar and Karnataka 2

3 Mahila Samakhya: Main Features Targets the most socially and economically marginalised women living in rural areas Teaches women to develop their own agency through the power of group or collective action Women themselves should know best what they need Holistic approach: social, political and economic empowerment are interconnected Lengthy and graduated involvement: Sangha development to self-sustainability 3

4 Defining Economic Empowerment of Women Education Ability to envision alternative options Awareness of legal rights Developing social networks of support Personal Agency Empowerment Social customs Tradition Laws protecting rights Opportunity Structure 4 Reference: Ruth Alsop & Nina Heinsohn Measuring Empowerment in Practice: Structuring Analysis and Framing Indicators World Bank Policy Research Working Paper 3510, February 2005

5 Measuring Economic Empowerment of Women Outcome Economic Power Economic Status Labour Market Outcomes Future Labour Market Potential Gender Labour Market Inequalities Select Indicators Awareness and utilization of laws, entitlement programs and economic options Financial decision-making Beliefs about household decisions Control over resources Personal income, savings, assets, and debt Hours worked weekly Employment status Type/nature of employment Secondary schooling participation Primary school completion Age of first marriage Gender differences in: Wages Employment status Type/nature of employment 5

6 What makes this evaluation unique and important Studies a program targeted toward improving personal agency Women may choose their own paths to economic mobility Do we see better outcomes with improved personal agency than if economic outcomes are targeted alone (e.g. vocational training)? Building evidence base: What works for Women s Empowerment? We need an inventory of programs, interventions and approaches that effectively empower women Informing Policy Sharing our results for improved decision-making 6

7 Dissemination and Engagement with Stakeholders: Modes and Tools Advisory Committee meetings (with representation from academia, civil society and bureaucracy) Roundtables (With policy planners and academia/opinion makers) Regular Meetings (with lower and middle level of bureaucracy, programme personnel) Policy briefs Workshops and conferences (presentations and papers) Social media, blogs, informal interactions Film screenings at various levels with different kind of stakeholders Thanks for the attention 7

8 For Mahila Samakhya (MS) The Use of Evaluation [1] - To be able to attribute the outcomes to particular MS approach and interventions by establishing the causality and the association - To be able to understand the strengths and limitations of the MS approach and interventions in gaining greater gender equality in the economic sphere - To strengthen the research and evaluation capacities of the programme personnel; to internalise the importance of using research and evaluation for strengthening the programme design / delivery 8

9 The Use of Evaluation [2] For Policy Planners (In India and in other countries with similar contexts and challenges) - Clarity as to whether the MS approach has caused change in the sphere of women s economic empowerment in general and labour market inequalities in particular; better understanding of the process of change as well - A clearer understanding of what the constraints are and what leads to social and economic change in diverse contexts (the two Indian states, Bihar and Karnataka, are very different from each other in terms of culture, educational and economic development) - Pointers for designing collective-action and education based women empowerment programmes 9