By Bushra Aslam.
Rural Support Programme Networks (RSPN) is a local body working with developmental issues in Pakistan. SUCCESS, a European Union funded programme, implemented by RSPN, is an effort to address women's empowerment and poverty in rural Sindh, Pakistan.
Poverty and Women’s Empowerment are key components of human development. Poverty eradication is the top priority of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily because poverty leads to economic and social disadvantages for individuals and communities alike. On the other hand, empowerment is enshrined under the 5th SDG and is integral to inclusive and sustainable development. The UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), defines women’s empowerment as a "multi-dimensional social process that helps people gain control over their own lives. It is a process that fosters power (that is, the capacity to implement) in people, for use in their own lives, their communities, and in their society, by acting on issues that they define as important".
Rural Support Programme Networks (RSPN) is a local body working with developmental issues in Pakistan. SUCCESS, a European Union funded programme, implemented by RSPN, is an effort to address the two above mentioned development goals in rural Sindh, Pakistan. This programme has been running for three years. In 2017, while working as a research intern at RSPN, I conducted a qualitative study to grasp the local understanding of poverty and women’s empowerment, and the impact of the programme on these two dimensions. I present my findings from the field and highlight some important questions that come up while trying to understand development in rural Sindh.
Local Perspectives
While the study included questions on poverty, empowerment, and migration along with political awareness and power dynamics, the following discussion focuses on responses to questions on women’s empowerment.
Most women defined poverty as ‘multidimensional’. Most of the participants defined deprivation in terms of education, nutrition, clothing, incidence of diseases, lack of shelter (roof), etc. Health was highlighted as a major development concern. Any savings made were usually used up if a child fell ill or a woman had to be taken to hospital for delivery. In some cases, locals had to borrow money to travel and buy medicines.
During conversations with women associated with the programme regarding their decision to be part of SUCCESS, I found that initially many were not allowed to participate because their husbands did not give them permission and they faced opposition from the elderly women of the village. Some participants said that the other women were jealous of their involvement. One participant used the proverb ‘[A] woman is a woman’s worst enemy’ to describe the resistance she had faced.
In cases where the mother-in-law was the only elderly figure at home, her permission rather than the husband’s permission was required with respect to the woman’s wish to travel. This was an interesting finding: a woman being ‘ruled’ by another woman. One participant explained this situation as “if we are allowed (to do a certain thing) by our husband but not our mother-in-law, it’s problematic. [However] for matters where our husbands do not agree, but we have our mother-in-law’s permission we can easily do it.” Hence, in-laws were found to be prominent figures in the ‘struggle to gain empowerment’ by these women, while husbands remained the most influential actors.
In cases where the mother-in-law was the only elderly figure at home, her permission rather than the husband’s permission was required with respect to the woman’s wish to travel. This was an interesting finding: a woman being ‘ruled’ by another woman.
Only married women above forty could travel on their own and were identified as the most ‘independent’ among the entire group.
Factors affecting empowerment were identified by most women as an ‘internal drive’, while some identified education as a factor. ‘Support of men’ was congruently identified as the most conducive factor.
When questioned on responsibility for their socio-economic condition the majority took it upon themselves. Few identified the government as responsible for poverty in their region. Moreover, interesting responses were recorded to whom they thought is ‘most powerful in their society.’ Again, this question was left open ended to gauge the respondent’s understanding of ‘power.’ Most named their local feudal or Union Councillor as being the most powerful person. Few identified men as more powerful, however two respondents identified women as the possessors of power.
When asked if they felt any difference between rich and poor women, all participants said there is a huge difference, however some of them were not able to identify what the difference was. Others described differences in terms of economic standing and that a rich woman is more respected because of her money. Except for one participant, nobody was able to identify the ‘gender aspect’ of the question and said that women are oppressed everywhere. The purpose of this question was to see if they think that rich women are more empowered, however, the question was left open ended to avoid the issue of leading questions, therefore, the majority of responses were in terms of socio-economic standing of the individuals.
Food for Thought
The study was enlightening in terms of understanding local perspectives. Though the women highlighted the same concerns as listed in the SDGs, they had different experiences and understandings of the interactions of these goals. In this part, I try to put forward some concerns which I think are missing from the development agenda in the region.
Consensus on the multidimensionality of poverty was found across the sample. However, I felt that people had different aspirations about development. For them, while prioritizing health, development is incomplete without improvement in all dimensions of life. Despite the availability of free medical treatment in government hospitals, other costs related to treatment were a huge concern. This can be connected with the lack of knowledge or awareness among these groups. It is possible that they are unaware of the free medical facilities available for them. In cases where they are aware, one wonders if medicines are really as free and easily available as portrayed by local authorities.
Moving towards conclusions about women empowerment, in-laws were found as influential actors in women’s lives which is not usually explored in the literature. The role of elderly women, especially in the given context, presents interesting implications. The finding that the most vulnerable group (women) at some point in their life cycle become powerful, presents a good case study for horizontal social inequalities. The correlations between gender, age and position of a woman in a family shape her entitlements in a society. Might these roles have to do with cultural aspects?
Moreover, the shared understanding of empowerment as ‘an internal drive’ or a ‘force from within’, challenges the current development strategies. The SDGs are united on education and health as tools to empowerment, but are these women asking for something else? Does education and health not attribute to empowerment in their context? What do they mean by ‘internal drive’?
The SDGs are united on education and health as tools to empowerment, but are these women asking for something else? Does education and health not attribute to empowerment in their context? What do they mean by ‘internal drive’?
When governments are being pressed to meet SDGs, I found that locals do not believe the government is ‘capable’ of improving their living standards. This can be problematic in ensuring efficient contributions from governments. They are experiencing pressure from above, but there needs to be pressure from below to hold institutions responsible for not performing.
The reason why this case study deserves attention is because it emphasizes the importance of local understandings of development. Different communities react differently to policies therefore context becomes crucial. While a global framework is important, people and their specific contexts should remain central to development policies.
By Bushra Aslam
Bushra is from Pakistan where she completed her BA in Economics in 2017. Before joining IDS she was involved in various field activities with RSPN and WHO. Bushra is keen on studying communities and cultures and in understanding the role they play in achieving development goals in different regions. She is currently pursuing her Masters in Poverty and Development at IDS.