Women’s empowerment, gender justice and microfinance Concepts and strategies Linda Mayoux

1. Women’s empowerment, gender justice and microfinance Concepts and strategiesLinda Mayoux

2. Gender equality and women’s empowerment marginalised in both financial sustainability and poverty targeting debates. Gender and micro-finance: evolution of debates 2000 onwards split paradigms 1985 Nairobi women’s conference and lobbying by women’s movements for access to poverty-targeted credit programmes and cooperatives . 1990s female targeting for financial sustainability 1980s access topoverty-targeted credit 1970s credit for women’s economic empowerment Increasing targeting of women in rapid expansion of large minimalist poverty-targeted MFIs like Grameen Bank, FINCA and ACCION Self- Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) and setting up of the Women’s World Banking network.

3. Approaches to gender analysis in micro-finance • Causal process approach – examining what MF does and the potential impacts • Universal rights approach – uses a set of universal criteria across development interventions • Participatory approach – understanding what women and men want as the basis for assessing change • NEED all three integrated in the planning process

4. Process approach::Potential virtuous spirals SAVINGS AND CREDIT REPAYMENT WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT USE HOUSEHOLD INCOME UNDER WOMEN’S CONTROL WOMEN’S ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IMPROVED STATUS AND CHANGING ROLES CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS (POWER WITHIN, POWER TO) MOBILITY AND NETWORKS (POWER WITH) INCREASED INCOME ACCESS TO MARKETS CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT HOUSEHOLD WELL-BEING Nutrition Health Literacy Happiness CONTROL OVER INCOME AND RESOURCES POWER TO CHALLENGE AND CHANGE INEQUALITIES (POWER OVER) ENTERPRISE GROWTH MEN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS POVERTY REDUCTION ECONOMIC GROWTH

5. Questioning complacency SAVINGS AND CREDIT ??Men may take loan but!!! REPAYMENT ??Women may give the loan to men WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT

6. Questioning economicempowerment SAVINGS AND CREDIT REPAYMENT WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT USE WOMEN’S ECONOMIC ACTIVITY ?Diversion of loan to other uses ??Women may work from home with marketing by men INCREASED INCOME ACCESS TO MARKETS WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT ??Incomes may be very low ??All women’s income may go for consumption CONTROL OVER INCOME AND RESOURCES ENTERPRISE GROWTH ??Men may control income ECONOMIC GROWTH

7. ??Women’s decisions may replicate gender inequality ??Women may forego own consumption ??Men may withdraw their contribution to the household Questioning well-being SAVINGS AND CREDIT REPAYMENT WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT USE HOUSEHOLD INCOME UNDER WOMEN’S CONTROL CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S WELL-BEING ??Girls may suffer HOUSEHOLD WELL-BEING Nutrition Health Literacy Happiness MEN’S WELL-BEING POVERTY REDUCTION

8. ??May divert attention from wider change Questioning social and political empowerment SAVINGS AND CREDIT REPAYMENT WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT USE ??May replicate and reinforce existing roles IMPROVED STATUS AND CHANGING ROLES ??Debt may decrease confidence CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS (POWER WITHIN, POWER TO) MOBILITY AND NETWORKS (POWER WITH) WOMEN’S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT ??Women may work from home POWER TO CHALLENGE AND CHANGE INEQUALITIES (POWER OVER) WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS

9. Microfinance and disempowerment:potential vicious circles ALL ASSUMPTIONS MUST BE QUESTIONED SAVINGS AND CREDIT REPAYMENT ?? ?? WOMEN’S DECISION ABOUT SAVINGS AND CREDIT USE HOUSEHOLD INCOME UNDER WOMEN’S CONTROL WOMEN’S ECONOMIC ACTIVITY IMPROVED STATUS AND CHANGING ROLES CONFIDENCE AND SKILLS (POWER WITHIN, POWER TO) MOBILITY AND NETWORKS (POWER WITH) INCREASED INCOME ACCESS TO MARKETS CHILDREN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S SOCIAL AND POLITICAL EMPOWERMENT WOMEN’S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT HOUSEHOLD WELL-BEING Nutrition Health Literacy Happiness CONTROL OVER INCOME AND RESOURCES POWER TO CHALLENGE AND CHANGE INEQUALITIES (POWER OVER) ENTERPRISE GROWTH MEN’S WELL-BEING WOMEN’S HUMAN RIGHTS POVERTY REDUCTION ECONOMIC GROWTH

10. QUESTIONS SO FAR?

11. Biological sex differences few CORE GENDER CONCEPTS Gender inequalities socially determined Gender inequalities can be changed Gender discrimination involves both women and men Women currently most disadvantaged Gender policy prioritises changing inequalities affecting women

12. Participatory empowerment process • Power to: skills, resources • Power within: confidence, awareness and aspirations for change • Power with: organisation for change • Power over: involving men in this process of change GENDERGOALS EMPOWERMENT to make realisable and informed choices crosscutting inequalitiesbetween women: poverty, ethnicity, marital status, age, education, health status etc EQUITY of OUTCOMES ‘rich tapestry of life’ Personal difference and choice Enabling environment requires not only removing discrimination but mainstreaming: Intra-householdNon-market Informal processesParticipatory structures EQUALITY of opportunity, power and resources +

13. WomenPower withinconfidenceaspirations Men Power toPower within WHAT IS WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT? WomenPower toskillsresources POWER WITH ALLPOWER OVER= BAD STRATEGIES FOR MENto changegender inequality STRATEGIES FOR WOMENto change gender inequality

14. Gender Justice Framework • Removing institutional gender inequalities and discrimination • Promotion of women’s human rights as stated in UN CEDAW to enable both women and men to move forward in a just society • Right 1: Freedom from Violence • Right 2: Gender Equality in Decision-making • Right 3: Equal property rights • Right 4: Freedom of thought, movement and association • Right 5: Equal rights to work and leisure • Gender justice for men to enable them to challenge and change gender stereotypes and constraints preventing men as well as women from achieving their full human potential.

15. Weman Gender Justice VISION A world where women and men are able to realise their full potential as economic, social and political actors, free from all forms of gender discrimination, for empowerment of themselves, their families, their communities and global humankind.

16. Strategic Framework • mandates, vision and objectives • removal of all forms of gender discrimination in access to all financial products and nonfinancial services • financial services for women and men contribute to gender justice • non-financial services for women and men promote gender justice • gender indicators are an integral part of social performance management and market research. • consumer protection and regulatory policies integrate gender equality of opportunity and empowerment. • gender advocacy • very poor and vulnerable women are included • organisational gender policies support these strategies

17. Why gender mainstreaming? • Women are at least half the population • Women’s human rights • Poverty reduction • Economic growth • Financial sustainability of FSPs

18. Business Arguments for MFIs • Large potential and underserved female market • Financial sustainability of FSPs because of high repayment • Women's empowerment enables them to use more profitable products • Men’s empowerment reduces destructive masculine behaviours • Client loyalty reduces follow-up costs • Management diversity makes better decision-making

19. QUESTIONS SO FAR?

20. Aims of this capacity-building NO BLUEPRINTS: different types of organisation, products and services and contexts • Clarify gender concepts and frameworks • Adapt the draft Gender Justice protocol • Introduce some simple tools for empowerment and gender planning • Use these tools to examine financial landscapes and product design from an empowerment perspective • Use these tools to develop personal and collective action plans.

21. QUESTIONS? Resources: Genfinance website: www.genfinance.info Oxfam Novib’s WEMAN website www.wemanglobal.org