Rural Women’s Economic Participation And Empowerment

Women’s empowerment is one of the fundamental constituents of sustainable development.Their economic participation with greater control over lives serve as an instrument for poverty alleviation and gender equality.Like other agriculture-based developing countries,rural women in Pakistan make an ample contribution to the economy through vital productive and reproductive roles.This research was aimed to investigate the role of rural women’s economic participation in shaping up their economic,social and psychological empowerment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan,.Mixed-method research was adopted to collect qualitative and quantitative data from a sample of 574 women.The study’s objectives were to identify the rural women’s independent economic activities;to evaluate the the influence of specific sociocultural,demographic,economic and developmental characteristics with economic participation;to assess the ability of rural women in transforming the outcomes of economic participation into empowerment with enhanced decision making power;and finally to suggest the policy recommendations based on research findings and reviewed literature.Alike common condition prevailing in all other parts of country,Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province is also a male-dominating region with strict norms and customs hindering women’s development,particularly in rural areas.Women of the study area were generally suffering from discriminatory practices impeding advancement in different economic and social life spheres.Besides domestic workload,they were contributing to their households through various domestic,expenditure saving,income-earning,and social activities.Due to prevailing poverty,some of the women have up-graded unpaid economic activities to income-earning activities to contribute in the household economy.Utilizing available capital or surplus production for fetching marginal profits,these respondents were engaged in more than one activity to support the families’ basic needs.Since majority of these activities were traditional and indoor in nature,the cultural and societal impediments were least hindering them.With gaining decision making power through economic independence,these women have overcome the discriminatory power structures to some extent.This finding is significant from a feminist point of view that how poor women undergo value transformations through their indigenous skills and personal capabilities.Among the various identified farm and off-farm activities,the significantly reported income earning activities were related to livestock raising including preparation of dairy products,and processing of bio-fuel from animal and plant wastes;poultry birds keeping and selling of eggs and meat;nursery raising and kitchen gardening;preserving excessive fruits and vegetables and processing valuable products of jam,squeshes,marmlades,pickles and ketchups;handicrafts making and carpet weaving;honey-bee keeping and silkworm rearing for honey and silk;fish production for domestic and commercial purposes;and some farm activities of weeding,seeding,cleaning,pickling,etc.The study aslo revealed that the respondents’ decision to initiate independent economic ventures was stimulated by several interrelated factors such as women’s socio-economic status of the household,personal motives,availability of resources,and efforts by development organizations.Since majority of the households were poor with “hand to mouth” income patterns,with no stable source of investment capital for expending the scale of economic activities,the major contributing factor that enthused women for additional economic activities was their thrust to contribute to the household economy.Moreover,some governmental and non-governmental organizations have also been working for gender-based economic development through awareness-raising,improvement in health and education,and development of agriculture.With a special focus of women’s integration in their agenda,these organizations have been contributing in economic activities through the provision of capacity building(leadership and accounting,technical education);micro-credit,and raw material(seeds,poultry chicks,sheep,goats,fertilizers)and awareness-raising(women’s rights,education,and health).Some of the major reported organizations in the study area were the Benazir Income Support Program(BISP);Barani Area Development Project(BADP);Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited,Saiban International organization,and the Sarhad Rural Support Program(SRSP).Likewise,respondents’ specific demographic and socio-cultural characteristics also have an intersection with the nature of economic decisions and level of participation.Among the significant correlated factors were age,educational status,family size,family living system,domestic workload,patriarchy,marital status,and social attitudes and practices.Being committed to enduring the risks of small-scale indoor and outdoor economic ventures,these women somehow have increased their visibility inside and outside the families.It was found that the ultimate value of rural women’s economic participation in income earning activities goes beyond the income contribution in the household economy;preserving cultural heritage through traditional activities as well as having significant impacts on their economic,social and psychological wellbeing leading to empowerment.Moreover,the respondents demonstrated tangible and intangible indicators of empowerment.Through abilities to earn and contribute,these women have acquired strategic decision-making power to improve the wellbeing of others and themselves.Similarly,significant improvement was reported in women’s socio-economic status through freedom of expenditure,increased control over earned income,access to better health and education;improved decision making power;social attitudes and practices;improved access,and control to household and community resources and economic independence.Some intangible indicators such as self-esteem,dignity,confidence to negotiate,and bargaining was also reported and observed.Their increased bargaining power as a result of attaining greater influence in household decision-making resulted in improvement in children’s education and socialization.Eventually,their satisfaction with the acquired social prestige,self-reliance and social interaction further provoked their desire for an equal share in development prospects.The study also revealed some disempowering effects of economic participation under strict patriarchal conditions such as negative effects on their physical and psychological health due to increased workload,financial exploitation by in-laws,loan indebtedness;and social disputes due to imbalanced work-life and family internal conspiracies and jealousies.In light of the findings and observations,it is recommended that development policymakers and academic institutions must consider the cultural settings in planning and implementing any development interventions for women’s development.A careful modification in the existing power structure,legal frameworks,and policies is also required for enhancing women’s equal control over resources and their futures.It calls for a careful analysis and stronger commitment from all the stakeholders of the society,especially a thrust for change by women themselves to improve their passive condition.