Trend of women's projects - how beneficial for women?<\/p>\n
By Nori Adriyani [10 pts ML]<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): In two villages in Klaten, Central Java, there
\nare at least two groups of women involved in projects which the
\norganizers say are improving the women's welfare.<\/p>\n
One group, consisting of around 20 women, runs a goat-raising
\ncooperative, facilitated by a women's non-government organization
\n(NGO) based in Yogyakarta.<\/p>\n
Another small group, working with a different NGO, produces
\nknitted handbags.<\/p>\n
I recently visited these groups, because any small step to
\norganize women will hopefully lead to important changes.<\/p>\n
The projects, which both started about a year ago, seemed to
\nbe running well. Membership has increased, the goats in the
\ncooperative are well cared for. The group making handbags said
\nthey have acquired new skills.<\/p>\n
Yet, although they said the addition to their husbands' or
\nparents' income was significant, they also added that it was only
\nadditional income, and they appeared to be particularly busy.<\/p>\n
\"We make sure that all household chores are done before going
\nto our meetings,\" said \"Muryani,\" a leader of the goat-raising
\ngroup.<\/p>\n
\"And we make sure that the meeting ends in time for us to get
\nhome and prepare the evening meal.<\/p>\n
\"That way we don't have conflicts with our husbands.\"<\/p>\n
We, the visiting women's activists, were surprised that such a
\nproblem was not tackled in a women's NGO project, although it
\nwould not have been surprising if the activities had been under
\nthe nationwide government sponsored Family Welfare Movement
\n(PKK).<\/p>\n
We also did not expect to be greeted by women in uniform who
\nprepared a ceremonial feast for us.<\/p>\n
Indeed the NGO supervising the project had never said it aimed
\nat consciousness raising, but at least we had expected a little
\nmore.<\/p>\n
If, for instance, the meetings took important time out of
\nhomemaking, couldn't their husbands or other family members help?<\/p>\n
The NGOs, we thought, should have been more aware of women's
\nspecific problems--such as low self-confidence and dealing with
\nbureaucratic structures--since the beginning of the projects, and
\nfind ways to encourage the women to handle them together.<\/p>\n
Likewise, the women making handbags said they were still
\nafraid to go to the bank for a loan.<\/p>\n
\"We leave that to our supervisors,\" said the group leader.<\/p>\n
The supervisors she referred to are men, a leader of the
\nvillage youth group (Karang Taruna) linked to the Village Defense
\nBody (Lembaga Ketahanan Masyarakat Desa) and the village head.<\/p>\n
As the women had not been encouraged to deal with the bank
\nthemselves, this strengthened our impression that the projects
\nwere co-opted by the local patriarchal political system and
\nvalues.<\/p>\n
Yet this should be expected.<\/p>\n
Trendy<\/p>\n
The two projects are clear-cut examples of \"women in
\ndevelopment\" (WID) projects, which have increased, most likely
\nbecause women's issues have become a trendy issue among NGOs.<\/p>\n
The main objective of the WID concept is to integrate women in
\ndevelopment, as development schools and agencies began to see in
\nthe 1970s that development might harm, rather than benefit, women
\nwhen introduced into societies with class and gender imbalances.<\/p>\n
Funding agencies then started to implement intervention
\nprograms to balance development in favor of women, such as
\ndeveloping appropriate technology for women and setting up credit
\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
It was this turn favoring WID that generated projects for
\nwomen. In Indonesia, the case has been no different. In 1978 the
\ngovernment appointed a State Minister of Women's Roles.<\/p>\n
Within the existing NGOs, women departments were established
\nto handle women's projects.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, new women NGOs considered to be outside the
\nmainstream have sprung up since the early 1980s.<\/p>\n
These new women's NGOs believe in the importance of addressing
\nwomen's subordination persistent in society; while \"mainstream\"
\ngroups such as the compulsory civil servant's wives organization,
\nDharma Wanita, maintain that a woman main role is in the family.<\/p>\n
So it was disheartening, yet not very surprising, to hear that
\nthe organizers in Klaten had not made any effort to address any
\nproblems the women might face.<\/p>\n
From above<\/p>\n
With the pressures from funding agencies -- the NGOs' bread
\nand butter -- projects have been driven by concerns from above.<\/p>\n
While NGO staff argue that income generating projects are
\n\"entry points\" towards more important aims like encouraging women
\nto be able to control economic resources, it turns out that the
\nactivities are \"forever\" entry points.<\/p>\n
Hence, in the early 1980s critics, propagated that the women
\nin development approach only addressed women's practical needs,
\nand not the strategic issues of overcoming political, economic
\nand social obstacles -- a complex relationship of gender, class,
\nrace and development imbalances.<\/p>\n
This is a critical issue for all concerned about the
\nimprovement of women's position in society. If we fail to see
\nthese dangers, efforts for improvement are bound to stand still
\nor even regress.<\/p>\n
From the two examples, the need to clarify the approach of
\neach project \"for women's welfare\" is clear -- whether it is
\naimed to meet the practical needs of women or one that at least
\ntakes a small step to unravel the structural barriers.<\/p>\n
The writer is a staff member of a Jakarta-based NGO, Yayasan
\nPerempuan Mardika.<\/p>\n
- 30 -<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/trend-of-womens-projects-how-beneficial-for-women-1447899208", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }