Where Does She Belong?
A critical analysis on why income enhancement, financial independence and decision-making alone are not sufficient to ensure that a woman’s voice is heard, her space established and her development guaranteed
As an organization, PRADAN has been engaged in enhancing the income of women, making them financially independent and ensuring that they have a say in the decisions made, regarding their homes and in society. However, even after decades of such interventions, it is clear that income alone is not sufficient to create a sense of belonging in the women at the grass roots— not only in their minds but also in the community to which they belong. Along with livelihood-enhancement activities, interventions that directly aim at behavioural change, positive culture shifts and change in the beliefs of the community are crucial in this journey of development.
Anecdote From The Field
A few months back, I attended a Vishvakarma celebration in Semardih, a hamlet of Anjan village, Gumla block, Jharkhand. The celebrations were hosted by a family of that hamlet. The entire road leading to their home had been decorated; music blared loudly from speakers and many villagers danced to the music. The banner, which adorned the entrance, welcomed everyone and carried individual photos of all the members of the family. Amidst all the fun and frolic, what caught my attention was this banner. Although the villagers had told me that all the members of that family were represented there, I did not find even one photo of the women of the family. I mentioned this to the women who accompanied me, and they suggested that I ask the head of the household; which I actually did.
Suresh, a member of the house, was one of my closest friends in the village. I asked him the same question. He replied, “Didi log to ghar ka nahin hai na! Tab kaise dalenge unke photo (The women do not belong to our household. So how can we put their photos)?” This further piqued my interest. I asked him why were there no photos of his daughters. After a pause, he responded, “Vo bhi is ghar ka nahin hai na. Kal dusre ghar chale jayenge. Isiliye beti ka bhi nahin dala (They too do not belong to this house. They’ll get married and go off to their houses soon. Therefore, none of my daughters’ photos have been displayed).” I was speechless.
The Paradox
Lakshmi, Suresh’s wife, is a prominent personality in the village Self Help Group (SHG). She actively participates in all the interventions meant to enhance incomes and ensure the financial independence of women. Despite this, she does not ‘belong’ to the family into which she has been married. Nor does her daughter, who is born into that family.
This is not the story of Lakshmi alone; many other women, who despite carrying the burden of the house from a very young age, are not acknowledged or valued or considered their own by their near and dear ones. A woman is given the least respect and consideration—it is her fault if the food is burnt; it is her fault if she gives birth to a daughter; it is her fault if her husband has an affair; it is her fault if someone in her house or nearby house dies; it is her fault that she is born a woman. This is the shared experience of those women, who are beaten by their husbands, thrown out of their homes at midnight, chased away using sickles and are brutally killed when they are alleged to be witches. I am sure all of us have come across or heard of the horrifying experiences of several such women.
If a woman is financially strong and has decision-making power, why is she seen as one who does not belong to the family, one who is not part of the household, and one who can be mistreated by all and sundry?
Public Transport
Let’s take another example. Imagine a public transport, a bus, so full that it does not have space for any more passengers. It stops at every stop; nobody gets off but people try to get in. Those who get in, try to force themselves in and make enough space to at least stand. At the same time, the passengers who are already in the bus hate this attempt and force. They apply an equal force on the new entrant and push the person to a corner and regain their space. Chaotic, isn’t it?
This is exactly what we are doing here with the community women and their rights. We are facilitating them and supporting them to push their way in and make their own space in a society which is already filled to the brim with traditions, beliefs, rituals and cultural practices that consider women to be one step behind. When all the passengers on the bus—in this case the society—is hanging on dearly to the space they have, why would they willingly want to accommodate more passengers/voices? Some women face this situation head on and emerge victorious in creating their own space; some others enter with the same gusto but are dragged down due to various reasons; and yet some others are unwilling to try to squeeze their way in.
An Alternative Scenario
Now imagine a similar bus packed and without space for a new passenger. Just like in the previous example, this bus also stops at every stop. But here’s the twist. Unlike in the first bus, the passengers of this bus get down at stops and new passengers board it. Those inside the bus make efforts to accommodate the new entrants—shift here and there a bit, squeeze a bit more, give up seats for the needy, etc. A more ideal environment, isn’t it? Now apply the same to the community women. How ideal an environment it would be if the women, who have financial independence and a voice, are welcomed openly and acknowledged as their own by their family and society?
A Puzzle Or A Paradox?
During one of my classes on public policy, I had the opportunity to come across these two terms—'puzzle’ and ‘paradox’. In public policy discussions, the question of whether a problem is a puzzle or a paradox sometimes arises. The first concept is rather simple: however, complex an issue is, there will always be a solution, a way out, a piece that solves the puzzle. The second term, ‘paradox’, is more of a challenge. In a paradox, every solution one comes up with leads to another set of issues—it will appear as if there is no final solution to a problem at hand. It becomes a never-ending loop of problems and solutions.
Now comes the tricky part—the part that determines whether this anecdote is part of a puzzle or a paradox—the ‘how?’ part. How do we overcome the issue raised in this article? What is the solution to make sure that women’s voices are really heard, their space established and their sense of belonging ensured in society? What path will ensure all that has been mentioned and her safety?
Redefining The Approach
In recent years, there has been a shift in the organization’s approach from purely livelihood-centric to accommodating ideas such as health, land rights, governance and so on. This shift rose from the realization that livelihood is not an independent activity; it has many other interlinkages—to ensure livelihood, many other aspects need to be focused on. The concept of comprehensive livelihoods (CL) was conceived of as a byproduct of our learnings and experiences in working on multiple dimensions. There are five dimensions covered under the CL approach . However, are these enough? Have we figured out the intersections and integrations of these five dimensions? These are questions to which we do not have clear answers even now.
When working with communities, especially tribal communities, activities are designed without proper cultural customization. We aim to bring in positive changes to the community, based on the mainstream scale of development, without actually focusing on what non-material treasures the community has at that point, what they need and whether or not our collective actions are reinforcing and validating the belief that, to be civilized and developed, the community should change to the mainstream standards. Of course, in some areas, this is required. For example, that maternal mortality rate (MMR) as with the infant mortality rate (IMR) should be none to low is a desired universally. Domestic violence must end. Witch hunting is a social evil and needs to disappear. And what about other aspects? The decline of traditional crops and agricultural practices while we focus on new and improved means of cultivation? The decline of native breeds of animals while we focus on improving breed variety (which sometimes goes awry)? Have we understood the concept of gender among the tribal communities completely? Or are we working on gender, based on our mainstream experiences? When conducting Gram Sabhas, are we focusing on replicating the mainstream idea of a Gram Sabha or integrating traditional Gram Sabha systems? Do we know enough about the communities we work with, to support them when we move them towards modern standards of ‘development’?
An argument that came up against this view, from a colleague was that our activities do try to bring in the cultural component in an inconspicuous manner. However, this is questionable and needs to be reflected upon. How many of us are aware if the gender divide, in its current manifestation, was part of tribal culture years back? When did community get replaced by individuality ? When did profit take the place of values and camaraderie? When did development get translated to the income of a family, number of solar-based systems, INRM structures, etc.? While we march forward under the banner of development, is what we are doing for the greater good or vice versa? If we do not have clear answers to these questions, it is high time we take a pause, reassess and reposition ourselves. Without such reflection, ensuring a woman’s true and holistic development will remain a dream.
Conflict From Within
Let us get back to the example of the public transport for a brief moment. For those women who have set an example by coming to the forefront, regardless of the extra burden/roles that they all have to carry at home and in the society, “Bravo!” We have women, who take up multiple roles and responsibilities because they are the lucky few, who were able to make their space; however, this leaves them tired and overburdened at the end of the day. We have succeeded in ensuring that they have their space and their voices are heard. And, at what cost?
For those in the second case—those who tried but couldn’t get on the bus—better luck next time? And the third case—those who weren’t able to try due to circumstances—what do we tell such women? That all of us are sorry it didn’t work out but now we’ll focus more and give more responsibilities to the women in the first group?
This is what has been happening till now. We have been focusing on the very few women who have broken stereotypes and have come forward. Although we have initiated discourses on bringing up new women and leadership from the community, the sad truth is that words have not been followed by action due to the difficulty attached to the same. Sometimes, the extra responsibilities go awry, resulting in power concentration among very few and sometimes even misuse of that power. There is, surprisingly, resistance from the existing power holders in changing the status quo and bringing in new leadership.
A shocking development that is seen nowadays is the conflict that is developing within the collective groups—women who do not support other women’s growth . Multiple narratives have been raised on how women in positions of power are not willing to give up their leadership roles and pass the baton to newer generations. There have been allegations of leaders resorting to corruption even in minor activities; experienced women leaders, who deny opportunities to young members, because they are inexperienced; women, who engage in multiple profit-making activities all the while excluding women who are in greater need and who may be part of vulnerable families; leaders who contest elections and use their power to threaten the community for votes, and so on. Although there are many women leaders, who are exemplary and want to create equal space, their numbers are sometimes overshadowed by the former groups.
If our goal is development of the community as against only an enhancement in their income or CL, the focus must be also on bringing behavioural change in the community, and equally in all sections. These changes must transcend material aspects and development structures to minute changes focusing on humane values and the realization of shared growth. Changes that focus not merely on if she has income in her hands or if she has land in her name but also on whether she is accepted in her society—her own group of women included—and is treated as an equal in her family; changes that are intangible and that complement all livelihood activities.
The Value Of Intangibles
Based on the experiences in the field till now, and the examples and instances narrated, I believe we need to focus on the intangibles along with tangible development goals. Without realizing that income is not the means but only a stepping stone to acceptance and equality, the women will always remain ‘not part of the household’. Without the same, we would also be unknowingly and unintentionally increasing the gap between the poor and the ultra-poor and vulnerable through our interventions.
In all concept seedings, trainings and activities related to regenerative agriculture, we focus on reviving the soil and addressing diseases and deficiencies in the soil along with the crop. We lean more on the preventive side to diseases rather than a curative approach. We focus on making the immediate ecosystem of the crop ideal for its growth, giving it the strength to weather all storms and diseases, so that its production is maximized. It is a similar approach that we require at this moment.
We work with women and only women. The ecosystem surrounding women has not been effectively addressed by us. To bring forward women, such as in the regenerative approach, equal engagement with other groups is also required without which we would be creating a feeling of discontentment and ignorance in the other sections. This includes engagement with other genders, and most importantly, with the youth so as to ensure a preventive approach—in order to ensure that we are preventing a repetition of the same struggles over generations. Internally, what if with every passing milestone, a few of our existing women leaders step down—which we support—and give the opportunity to the next set of women? Externally, what if the society, regardless of gender, age, caste and class, shows understanding and willingness to accommodate new women leaders just like the passengers in the bus? Isn’t that what our telos should be? Not to ensure her space in singular, but her space in plural? To facilitate the community in adopting a sustainable growth trajectory whereby there is healthy support and encouragement for women leadership, groom new leadership and pass on the baton with time?
Such behavioural and intangible changes are far from a cakewalk. Gender and governance approaches aim at addressing these issues; however, these attempts are becoming a mere eyewash, with funding, targets and deliverables overpowering quality training and interventions. We need to realize that bringing in behavioural changes that challenge and aim at setting up a new system is not as quickly possible as establishing solar irrigation systems, getting higher yield through SRI and so on—changes that sadly excite us more than joint decision-making through traditional institutions, or women standing against gender violence and so on.
The Way Forward
There is no one right way. The purpose of this article is to reflect, or help reflect briefly, on what more can be done—what can be some meaningful ways to bring about change. The purpose also was to point out a fundamental lapse in our activities these past few years. From the initial focus on establishing irrigation facilities to the multi-dimensional engagement that we are doing today, many PRADANites’ sweat and blood have gone into evolving PRADAN. This article is not a criticism about any of those efforts; rather, it is an acknowledgement of the work done, gratitude for laying the foundation and stage that was created for the newer generations of PRADANites’ to stand tall, and allows someone like me to have the space to write and express myself freely. This article is an effort to point out a fundamental aspect that needs our focus. Just as a space was created for me, we need to focus on creating a space for them—a women and girls’ space and sense of belonging.
Bringing in systemic and cultural changes should be the focus and the aim, to empower women specifically and the community as a whole in spearheading development. Interventions on Gender and Governance have started to approach this to an extent; however, these are curtailed because there are very few ‘believers’ among us and for the other reasons stated earlier. There is a need for all of us, no matter what gender, age, educational background, years of experience, etc., to come together and discuss these and newer intangibles, and how we can integrate our activities around these. We need to wholeheartedly support the building of a society, in which everyone’s voice is heard and given value, irrespective of gender, age, class and caste—a society to which a woman equally belongs.
References
1) Although this article deals in depth with community, I implore the readers to try drawing parallels with the status quo in their work spaces. I implore the readers to come forward and collectively make changes.
2) Women in Centrality, Income, Ecology, Nutrition and Inclusion
3) A point gathered through interactions with multiple community members as well as PRADANites.
4) This is the usual human nature and may be seen across genders. However, since PRADAN’s engagement has a women-centric focus, I am highlighting conflicts within this particular gender.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ammu Thankam Mathew, a public policy and governance post graduate, is currently engaged with Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN). She is based at Gumla district in Jharkhand as an Executive and has been engaging around strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions, Improvement of Health and Nutrition Status, Tribal Cultural Integration and so on. Her interest areas include public policy, governance, Adivasi rights, forest rights and public health.