This presentation was given by Marion Min-Barron (Bioversity International), as part of the Annual Scientific Conference hosted by the CGIAR Collaborative Platform for Gender Research. The event took place on 5-6 December 2017 in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, where the Platform is hosted (by KIT Royal Tropical Institute).
Read more: http://gender.cgiar.org/gender_events/annual-scientific-conference-capacity-development-workshop-cgiar-collaborative-platform-gender-research/
Grafted understandings of empowerment in agriculture: a qualitative gendered comparison of Ethiopian smallholder farmers
1. Marion Min-Barron
Visiting Assistant Professor of Public Health, Williams College
Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy
MS, MPH, Doctoral Candidate
CGIAR Annual Scientific Conference
Research Round: Empowerment in Development Programming
06. December. 2017
GRAFTED UNDERSTANDINGS OF
EMPOWERMENT IN AGRICULTURE:
A QUALITATIVE GENDERED COMPARISON OF
ETHIOPIAN SMALLHOLDER FARMERS
2. CGIAR Annual Scientific Conference
Research Round: Empowerment in Development Programming
06. December. 2017
RESEARCH QUESTION:
In what ways do menโs and women's
definition/perception of empowerment in agriculture
converge and diverge?
4. JUSTIFICATION AND
PURPOSE
๏ผOngoing focus on gender as a cross-
cutting theme within development
๏ผRise in interest in quantitative
indicators such as the WEAI
๏ผThere is a call to understand
empowerment within specific cultural
contexts
5. โagencyโ
โself efficacyโ
โautonomyโ
โself-directionโ
โself-determinationโ
โliberationโ
โparticipationโ
โmobilizationโ
โself-confidenceโ
What we know about womenโs empowerment
(and womenโs empowerment in agriculture)
๏ถ Scholarly definitions
โEmpowerment is [an]
expansion [process] of
peopleโs ability [and desire], to
make strategic life choices
[that affect both the individual
and his/her surrounding
community], particularly in
contexts where this ability has
been denied to them.โ
(Kabeer, 1999)
โAltering relations
of power which
constrain womenโs
options and
autonomy and
adversely affect
health and well
being.โ (Sen, 1993)
โEmpowerment is defined as a groupโs or individualโs capacity to
make effective choices, that is, to make choices and then to
transform those choices into desired actions and outcomesโ.
(Alsop 2006)
6. What we know about womenโs empowerment
(and womenโs empowerment in agriculture)
๏ผ Four recurrent key themes across empowerment
literature (Boehm and Staples 2004)
1. Empowerment is both a process and outcome.
2. Empowerment can encompass both the personal and the
collective.
3. Empowerment is based on the premise that those in
positions of relative powerlessness, once exposed to
resources, can utilize those resources for change.
4. Empowerment can be facilitated by others but not created
for others: individuals and groups must claim power for
themselves.
8. ENGIN
E
๏ถ Five-year, USAID funded, integrated nutrition program
๏ถ ENGINEโs primary goal : โHelp Ethiopian women and
children less than 5 years old achieve sustainable
improvements in their nutritional status, which will enable
them to lead healthier and more productive lives.โ
๏ถ Geographic focus on woredas serviced by the Ethiopian
Agricultural Growth Program (AGP)
9. Study Design
๏ถ Cross sectional qualitative study design
๏ถ Associated with a larger quantitative study
(multi-stage cluster probability proportional to size
sampling: 10 woredas within 2 regions)
๏ผ Purposively chose 2 of the woredas, based on feasibility and
logistics
10. Study Design
๏ถ Cross sectional qualitative study design
๏ถ Associated with a larger quantitative study
(multi-stage cluster probability proportional to size
sampling: 10 woredas within 2 regions)
๏ผ Purposively chose 2 of the woredas, based on feasibility and
logistics
Focus groups
stratified by
gender, age and
farming type (n=24)
Cognitive
Debriefing
Interviews (n=12)
๏ถ Methods
Farming types that were
identifed as
โข Primarily cash crop
based
โข Primarily home garden
based
โข Primarily livestock
based
12. Preliminary Results
WOMEN
When I say the word โwomanโ what
word or words do you think of?
๏ผ Identity is connected to childbirth,
caregiving, fieldwork
๏ผ Responses consistently in the third
person narrative
๏ผ Understanding of their gender is
based on both external perceptions
and personal reflections.
โA woman is all thingsโ.
(FG 4, All women, Wondo Genet)
โA woman is considered weak.
A woman can't freely speak in
public. This is not my personal
opinion. It is others' or outsiders'
opinion. On my behalf, I believe
a woman can do everything.
(FG 13, All women, Semen Achefer)
13. Preliminary Results
MEN
When I say the word โmanโ what word
or words do you think of?
๏ผ Identity is connected to providing for
the family, making income related
decisions, work capacity, leadership
roles
๏ผ Responses consistently in the first
person or collective โweโ narrative
โWe are superior to female
naturally and decider on the
property. I assist my wife. In
Genesis the first created man
is Adam as a result male is
superior to female. We are the
ones who [are] involved in
agricultural activity as well as
perform those activities female
are unable to workโ.
(FG 12, All men, Wondo Genet)
14. Preliminary Results
๏ Many defined
empowerment by the
processes a woman
engages in
๏ Many defined
empowerment by the
outcomes a man
possesses
WOMEN MEN
๏ผ Empowerment circulates around decision-making,
cash handling, skill, education, external
acknowledgement
15. Preliminary Results
๏ Many defined
empowerment by the
processes a woman
engages in
๏ Many defined
empowerment by the
outcomes a man
possesses
WOMEN MEN
โAn empowered woman is
someone who works at home,
fulfills what is missing at home, she
has to do all things at home,
manage the money and discuss the
decision-making.โ
FG 2, All Women, Wondo Genet
โTo me, an empowered man is
someone who has a good farm,
adequate money, brave, and with
adequate wealth.โ
FG 11, All men, Wondo Genet
๏ผ Empowerment circulates around decision-making,
cash handling, skill, education, external
acknowledgement
16. Other emerging themes
โข Informal power structure within children to help leverage
womenโs decision-making power
โข Legal systems and programs promoting gender equality
lead to forced alternative mechanisms to retain power
(by men)
โข Implications of the acquirement of empowerment
language โIt is alright, there is no problem, and we are
equal to male. We have been informed.โ
(FG 14, All women, Semen Achefer)
18. Acknowledgements
Thesis Committee:
Jennifer Coates (Advisor) Beatrice Rogers
Shibani Ghosh John Maluccio
Research Funding: ENGINE/Save the Children/USAID
Disclaimer: This research work is made possible by the support of the American people through the
United States Agency for International Development (USAID) under Agreement No. AID-663-A-11-000-
17. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the researcher & do not necessarily
reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.
Conference Funding: Williams College, Friedman School of Nutrition Science
& Policy
Iโve heard musings related to this research so hopefully it can provide another thought exercise
Iโve heard musings related to this research so hopefully it can provide another thought exercise
Measuring empowerment as a process means measuring the presences of building blocks that are venue for empowemrent vs. empowerment as an outcome (which measures the extent to which women actually exert control in their lives and social environments).
Measuring empowerment as a process means measuring the presences of building blocks that are venue for empowemrent vs. empowerment as an outcome (which measures the extent to which women actually exert control in their lives and social environments).
This study attempts to make the first steps in understanding perceptions of empowerment, according to gender, with the Ethiopian smallholder context.
AGP: considered to be the most agriculturally productive parts of the country.
Over 200 individuals
Over 200 individuals
Grounded theory analysis Please remember that these are preliminary findings of the study
Ghuman 2005 in 5 different countries, measurement of womenโs autonomy according to women and men. the differing results could be because there are two separate subjective realities. men tend to attribute more power to women then women do to themselves.
-husbands may wish to rpesent themselves in a favorable light relative to reality (refs) and women may be socialized to be more passive and understate their own power.
Ghuman 2005 in 5 different countries, measurement of womenโs autonomy according to women and men. the differing results could be because there are two separate subjective realities. men tend to attribute more power to women then women do to themselves.
-husbands may wish to rpesent themselves in a favorable light relative to reality (refs) and women may be socialized to be more passive and understate their own power.
a man is someone who has good farm, adequate money, a brave, and with adequate wealth is considered a man
a man is someone who has good farm, adequate money, a brave, and with adequate wealth is considered a man
Kishor suggests that empowerment be comprised of three indicators
-indicators of evidence of empowerment
-indicators of sources of empowerment
-indicators of settings for empowerment