Attitudes to changes brought about by project initiatives
A previous assessment of women's attitudes to the activities initiated by the project had revealed a generally positive reaction to all interventions directly affecting their lives. Further questioning during focal group discussions again elicited a mainly positive response, though it became clear that some activities are appreciated more than others.
The focal group discussions had also revealed that potentially different interest groups exist among women, with age and household status important factors affecting the availability of time and resources to contribute to project activities as well as the power to influence decisions concerning the planning and implementation of such activities.
According to the women, the most useful project activities to date have been the training provided for traditional birth attendants; the cloth cutting and tailoring lessons combined with the provision of sewing machines; the establishment of a savings and loan scheme; and the construction of their social centre. More controversial were the initiatives related to poultry-raising.
The training of traditional birth attendants (TBA) fulfilled a real need in the village and was highly appreciated by the women.
The leader of the women's association proudly described a birth she had attended just the night before, delivering her great grand-son with the aid of the new midwife kit she had been given. She expressed the need for rubber gloves, a piece of equipment lacking in the kits. She also stressed the need for aid in establishing cooperative links with the lady doctor in the nearby town of Muslimbagh so that she would be more eager to help in referral cases that were too complicated for the TBAs to deal with alone. So far this lady doctor has not shown much enthusiasm for outreach activities; the need for strong mediation from the centre, as represented by the project, was clear
The women pointed to two benefits they derived from the cloth cutting and tailoring lessons and provision of sewing machines. First of all, they are able to economize on household expenses. Before, cloth for their own or their husband's and children's clothes had to be taken to a tailor who had to be paid for his services, but now they can produce clothes themselves. Secondly, the women can earn some income by making clothes for sale, though it seems that only some women use sewing as an income-generating activity.
One woman stitches material brought to her by others, earning Rs 25 for one suit. "My husband is away so I use this money for myself and my children, buying items from a travelling merchant who makes house to house rounds in the village on his bicycle".
The sewing machine is kept in the house of the female motivator's daughter-in-law. This woman had been selected by the other members of the association both because of her sewing skills and because of the fact that she already owns a sewing machine and will not, therefore, monopolise the new one for her own use. Women wishing to use the machine but who do not know how to sew, come to her home and receive guidance from her on its use; other women take the machine to their own homes and use it there. The charge for all is 3 Rs per day. This money is placed in a special fund for repairs and the eventual purchase of another machine.
One disadvantage cited by some women was that the project had provided only one sewing machine which is not enough for all the women in the village.
The savings and loan scheme established by the project met with enthusiastic response from the women. In addition to a small start-up fund donated by project personnel and visitors, every woman is saving Rs 10 a month Portions of the resulting money could then be loaned out to individual women in cases of particular need for later reimbursement. Prior to this, no such collective pooling of resources had existed: women in need of cash had had to ask their menfolk to borrow for them. Now, thanks to the women's association loan scheme, they can operate independently.
Loan cases cited seem mainly related to health matters within the women's families. One woman, for example, had borrowed Rs 300 when her daughter-in-law was sick and had since returned it.
Indeed, concern for household members who were ill or incapacitated dominate discussions aimed at eliciting women's perceived needs. However, the women explain that the need for cash outlays for ceremonial events such as wedding ceremonies, etc. could also qualify a woman for a loan. So far, there seems to have been no problem with reimbursements, though one woman who had trouble saving the required 10 Rs per month had pulled out of the scheme.
The women expressed satisfaction with the construction of a social centre which provides a neutral space for meetings and other activities of the women's association. The women point out matter-of-factly that having a separate building eliminates the burdensome chore they used to face in their own homes readying for meetings
Holding such meetings in the home had apparently been unsatisfactory on a number of counts. Not only did they disrupt the daily rhythm of the household (by interfering with children's naps, etc.); they were often in turn disrupted by the presence of demanding children. Moreover, some men raised objections against their women meeting in other individuals' houses.
Now, however, women's meetings can be held on neutral ground in a more serene atmosphere. Yet there remains some question about whether the women have really made these social centres their own, or whether they consider them merely the meeting place for emissaries of the project. They do not seem to use them for any spontaneously organized meeting of their own, and do not have any firm idea of what other uses they could be put to in the future.
One project activity which did not always elicit positive responses from the women was the provision of a new breed of poultry. Problems have been encountered in the care of the new chickens, which seem to require more intensified labour inputs and special feed than the breed they already had.
Moreover, the chickens, which had been provided because of their superior egg-laying capacity, had stopped laying eggs (probably because of problems related to their nutrition). The women were quite discouraged and asked for further technical assistance from the project to help them overcome these problems. Following these discussions, further technical assistance was provided anti the first results appeared encouraging.
Women prove remarkably well-informed about other activities of the project related primarly to men.
They are fully informed, for example, and have definite views about the project-initiated range-conservation technique of setting aside resting areas, or pargora on the common lands. Though they seem willing to wait and see if such a system would work some raise intelligent questions about whether sufficient lands would be left open for grazing while others note that there is no control over herds belonging to nomadic groups or to surrounding villages who are grazing on the restricted areas sometimes at night.
They are also very satisfied by the provision of pesticide spraying machines (because they allow timely tretment of orchards at a cheaper cost) and the construction of a Community House for men.
The general awareness women showed of the wider project activities is in distinct contrast to the ignorance expressed by many men about the project activities for women (as noted in the evaluation of activities).
This had previously been taken as a sign of lack of communication with the household. It could be that the men really are less informed (because less interested) about women's affairs than women are about men's. But it could also be that men's claim of lack of knowledge about women's affairs is partly a manifestation of cultural taboos against discussion of domestic issues with other men and that information actually circulates more freely than believed.
Women maintained for example that they relate what happens in their meetings word for word to their husbands. For their part women seem to rely particularly on their sons rather than their husbands as the best source of information about men's project activities and village affairs in general. It also seems that the project's female group promoter plays a significant role in transmitting news of the project activities involving men.
One of the implications of these findings for the project is that although the gender-segregated social system demands separate activities for women it is a mistake to believe that women's interests as such are so narrowly defined by gender.
Measures should be taken to ensure that their views on project activities affecting the entire community are elicited and taken into consideration in processes of planing implementation and evaluation. The women's association meetings could in this way serve as a key vehicle for promoting women's wider participation in project activities and village affairs.
The women had two definite ideas for future project-assisted activities:
* One was the introduction of embroidery machines and training in their use - a woman specific activity from which they expected to derive income generation. This activity was to be started shortly;
* The second concerned Improving the village water supply system for the benefit of all through cleaning the spring repairing the canals and installing pipes to each household. The men had also raised this as an issue in their steering committee meeting with project personnel but a decision on action to be taken is still pending. Community members do not seem realise the costs that would be involved, nor do they all seem willing to contribute to these costs. It also appears that the priorities of men and women may differ with women more interested in improving household water supply and men concerned mainly with improving irrigation channels for their orchards.
