Gender Equality & Development

(Collective Action and Womens Agency)

This write-up on collective action and womens agency extract how the
smaller body of empirical research examining the mechanics of collective
action and how its link with the economic and social wellbeing, especially
in the developing societies seeking to harness the power and influence of
the group. In the process of understanding the condition in which
collective action occurs I found that major challenges for effective
collective action is the tendency of individuals to free-ride.
In collective action we are seeking to harness the power and influence of
the group. We understand the power of women empowerment during anticolonial movement of the 1950s and 1960s. but when we revel the data of
the rest of the world, then we see that women are facing lack of control
over resources, lack of control over income, lack of participation in the
group, discomfort speaking in public, weak leadership, and influence in
the community. Which results women to suffer i.e. domestic violence,
locked-in within four walls, etc.
Intervention of collective action improves the womens status and results
in access to and control over resources, decision making over family
formation, freedom of movement (mobility), freedom from violence,
political participation and societal influence, and bank linkage through the
group.
There are several example for women empowerment through self-help
group and bank linkage few are coffee cooperative of Uganda, honey
production in Ethiopia, Self Employed Womens Association (SEWA), India
and Kenya, and many more
They all are working for the upliftment of the livelihood of women and
making them empower with the help of different approach and methods
like education, rising awareness about legal rights, providing justice,
stopping child marriage, providing a source of income, providing quotas in
governing bodies, etc.
Bank linkage for women was started in 1983 by Dr. Md. Yunus through
Grameen Bank in Bangladesh. Over the time it comes to India in the form
of self-help group (SHG). Which triggering women's mobilization and
uplifting their lifestyle by providing livelihood which may sustain for a long
time.
For this womens organisation, government created federal
structure and appointing Young professional to support them.
Mobilization of women can take a number of forms, with or without the
help of government structure, local bodies, organisation or outside formal
structure. There is a long history of collective action for and by women,
VIKRAM RANA

PDM-03-027

Gender Equality & Development

(Collective Action and Womens Agency)
because these are providing better economic, political and social
opportunities to young and talented women to avoid future vulnerability
to and dependence on men.

VIKRAM RANA

PDM-03-027