Grameen Bank Women Borrowers Private and Public Space Development in Patriarchal Bangladesh

1. Grameen Bank Women Borrowers Private and Public Space Development in Patriarchal Bangladesh Kazi Abdur Rouf Paper resented at Comparative, International and Development Education Centre (CIDEC) University of Toronto January 11, 2011

2. Objectives To examine at what levels the women borrowers of the Grameen Bank are being empowered to participate in different private space and public space activities and events in patriarchal Bangladesh. To explore how the Grameen Bank’s 16 decisions enhance women borrowers private and public space development.

3. Meaning of Private Space and Public Space Women private space: Women’s participation in the familial decision making process like manage incomes, expenditures, buying clothing, furniture, food, land, house, educate children, choice partners Women public space: Women’s leaderships/engagement in the community activities. Women freedom to visit public spaces like schools, union councils, banks, markets, clinics, chapel centers and festival centers.

4. Bangladesh Socio-Economic Situation Bangladesh is an agricultural village, Islamic patriarchal -dominated country where non-agricultural paid employment is limited. The majority of them, 55 million women, are suffering from the feminization of poverty and from having their social, economic, cultural, political, and environmental human rights exploited in the village. Males make the majority of family decisions and male elites occupy the public space in the community.

5. Continued-2 The sexual discrimination of the gender division of labor undervalues women in the family Women are labeled as homemakers and males are labeled breadwinners and the heads of the families.

6. Bangladesh Map-East of India in South Asia

7. Issues Women are secondary decision makers in the family as males are thought to be superior Women’s civic capital development takes place in the shadow of men’s development Sexual division of labor: women’s unpaid domestic chores and men’s paid labor Purdah, limits women’s physical and social movement in the society Women’s intra-household power relations are unequal

8. ResearchQuestions Are Grameen Bank women borrowers aware of the social issues related to their private space and public space development? What are the barriers that women face in developing their ability to participate in the public space? What support is needed in order to use the Sixteen Decisions to enhance their private and public space development in the family and in the community?

9. Measurement of Women’s Empowerment The private space is measured along five dimensions: Household decision making in day-to-day expenses and income Control over loans Importance of women’s opinions in buying land, furniture, electronics, clothing, savings, educating children and festival donations Using latrines Freedom to visit parents house etc.

10. The public space is measured along five dimensions Participation in the weekly center meetings Engagement in community organizations and community committees Transferring center leadership skills to community activities Solving neighborhood problems collectively Freedom to visit public spaces like clinics, immunization centers, schools, union councils, banks, and markets etc.

11. Marginalized/Poor Women’s Issues Suffering from the feminization of poverty Poor women are unable to fulfill their basic needs of food, shelter, clothing, education and health etc. Have less power than others in the family and in the community Other socio-economic disadvantages

12. Grameen Bank’s Strategies to Address the Issues Grameen Bank understands that marginalized women are suffering from the following poverty-related issues: Grameen Bank has initiated its group-based collateral free micro-credit GB has designed the “Sixteen Decisions” – a holistic socio-economic, cultural, political and environmental message GB has run the “Sixteen Decisions” campaign among GB women borrowers Campaign is run through projection (open-house) meetings, mini-group meetings, GB seven day trainings before joining the bank.

13. Grameen Bank Loan Operation Statistics Total # of borrowers:8.33 million, 97% of them are women. GB has 2,565 branches. It works in 81,373 villages. Total staff: 22,249. Total amount of loan disbursed: US $ 9.87 billion. During the past 12 months loan disbursement: US $ 1341.80 million. Monthly average loan disbursement: US $ 111.82 million. Loan recovery rate: 97.24 per cent. 100 % of loans financed from bank’s internal liquidity. Total revenue generated by Grameen Bank in 2009: US $ 209.80 million. Total expenditure: US $ 204.42 million.

14. Grameen Bank Sixteen Decisions • We shall follow and advance the four principles - Discipline, Unity, Courage and Hard work . • We shall bring prosperity to our families. • We shall not live in dilapidated houses. • We shall grow vegetables all the year round. • During the plantation seasons, we shall plant as many seedlings as possible. • We shall plan to keep our families small. We shall look after our health. • We shall educate our children. • We shall always keep our children and the environment clean. • We shall build and use pit-latrines. • We shall drink water from tube wells. • We shall not take any dowry at our children’s' weddings. We shall not practice child marriage. • We shall not inflict any injustice on anyone. • We shall always be ready to help each other. • If we come to know of any breach of discipline, we shall restore discipline. • We shall take part in all social activities collectively.

15. GB “Sixteen Decisions” Campaign Strategies Weekly Center Meetings Seven-day Workshops One-day Workshops Exchange Visits Annual Gathering Fairs

16. GB “Sixteen Decisions” Program Implementation GB provides shallow tube well loans for safe drinking water and for irrigation Supplies Iodized Salts for Goiter disease Distributes Oral Dehydration Saline Supplies Vegetable Seeds Delivers Fruit and Timber Seedlings Disburses Education loans and “Scholarships “ to the children of the GB women borrowers’

18. Methodology and Data Analysis Techniques Face-to-face interviews with participants Printed questionnaire used to collect data from Grameen Bank women borrowers Questionnaire contained closed-ended and open-ended questions Secondary data from Grameen Bank Bangladesh Personal observation Sixty-one samples

19. Data Analysis Techniques Data entered in the Excel Sheets and than transformed into SPSS version 18. Two types of data: quantitative data and qualitative data Descriptive statistics data analysis/interpretation Qualitative data processed through mixed methods : counted responses, transformed them into themes with examples

20. Sample characteristics Marital Status % N Married 90.2 55 Unmarried - - Divorced 1.6 1 Widowed 8.2 5 Family Type Single 47.5 29 Joint 52.5 32 Housing Type Pacca 24.6 15 Semi-pacca 75.4 46

21. Samples characteristics continued Borrower’s Education % N No schooling - - Centre schooling 32.8 20 Primary school 34.4 21 High school 32.8 20 College/university - -

22. Decisions Regarding Day-to-Day Expenses and Income Day-to-day expenses % N Myself 32.8 20 Husband, sons and/or parents without me 16.4 10 Husband and children consult with me 9.8 6 All family members together 41.0 25 Income Myself 32.8 20 Husband, sons and/or parents without me 24.6 15 Husband and children consult with me 6.6 4 All family members together 36.1 22

23. Percentage of GB Women Borrowers Belonging to Community Organizations Question N Yes (%) No(%) Do you belong to any organization? 60 98.3 1.7 Do you like to participate in community activities? 61 80.6 19.4 Do you face any problems in participating in any 61 6.0 94.0 of the community committees?

24. Percentage of Women Facing Barriers and Type of Support they needed in Decision Making Process Barriers Women Face % N Male dominance 41.0 25 Religious rituals 4.9 3 Ethnic family values 14.8 9 Women herself avoids making decisions - - Others 39.3 24 Support Needed Appreciation from husband and other family members 16.4 10 Accept mistakes 11.5 7 Participation of family members in decisions 44.3 27 Workshop through Ethnic Family Counseling Agency 3.3 2 Others (women employment, respect women, training) 24.6 15

25. Percentage of Issues which require women to be proactive *Multiple response Descriptions# of responses % Women’s equality rights 48 79% Children’s education 38 62% Clinic development 13 21% Collective conflict resolution 16 26% Public resource sharing and infrastructure 26 43% Environmental protection 34 56% Others * 43 70% *Proactive against injustice, destroying dowry, women’s security, protest against violence against women and injustice, creating women’s employment and women ‘s equal status in society)

26. Qualitative data: Themes with Examples Item/themes 1. Dowry causes poverty. 2. Dowry goes against the human rights of women • Dowry creates family conflict. • Dowry goes against religious prescription. 5. Dowry causes social problems. Examples 1. Those people who look for dowry, they are greedy for wealth; they want money without working hard. Dowry marriages drain the savings of parents and impoverish them. I gave a dowry and spent a huge amount of money on my daughter’s wedding because they demanded a Honda motorcycle for a dowry….. (Feroza, South Salna #10, 4th participant) 2. Dowry is against the law; it creates illegal pressure on bride’s parents for dowry. Mina Rani, Barera, 47, 57th 3. Dowry seekers harass the bride’s family, it hampers peace in the family and it creates a rift between the bride’s family and the groom’s family. Delowara, Nayapara #9, 35th • Demanding dowry causes bad people to go to hell because it is prohibited in Islam. Ragia, Nanakkhi, #19, 21st interviwee. • By taking dowry from the bride’s family, it is like the bridegroom’s parents sell their sons to the bride because the bride will bully the bridegroom, which eventually angers both families. The bride does not care about anyone. Sakhina, Telipara #70, 2nd

27. Empowerment (1) Elected in the Local Govt. Leadership development through GB system • Grameen system makes the borrowers familiar with election process. • They routinely go through electing group chairmen and secretaries, centre-chiefs and deputy centre-chiefs every year. • They elect board members for running Grameen Bank every three years. • This experience has prepared them to run for public offices. They are contesting and getting elected in the local governments. Elected GB members at local councils in a workshop

28. Empowerment (2) The Result of Union Parishad (Local Govt.) Election GB members and GB family members elected. Description19972003 Chairman: GB members and 59 81 Their family members Percentage 1.38 2.04 Members: GB members 1753 2166 GB family members 1572 1950 Total 3325 4116 Percentage 6.50 8.99 Elected GB Members in local councils in a workshop

29. Empowerment (3) The Result of UpzillaParishad (Local Govt.) Election 2009 GB members and GB family members elected.

30. Meeting with Upzilla Vice Chair (GB Members), 22 March 2009

31. GB activities fit in the different Women’s Development Approaches GB credit program fits into the Women in Business (WIB) Approach Its “Sixteen Decisions” campaign fulfill the “Women in Development” (WAD) Approach GB women borrowers’ economic development contributes to macro level GNP. These are the ideologies for women’s agenda inclusion in macro policy, planning and programming (WID). GB respects existing cultures, norms and traditions of the village society that comply with culture and development (CAD)

32. Women Development approaches continued-2 GB women borrowers nurture nature, and are compassionate to the environment in accordance with the ideas of eco-feminists and in line with Women and Environmental Development (WED) GB is working within the existing patriarchal structure, not challenging male chauvinism Gender division of labor is a problem for women in their families and in their communities, which is essential to a gender and development (GAD) approach

33. Women Development Approaches continued-3 All these approaches are working for women’s empowerment, but in piecemeal. Minimalist Micro-credit Economic Approach vs Integrated microcredit socio-economic development approach Single-minded Microcredit service emphasizes institutional financial sustainability Integrated microcredit emphasizes a socio-economic development approach that has a multidimensional impact on people’s lives

34. Grameen Bank Holistic Development Approach Strategiescontinued-4 GB group-based micro credit, savings program Its “Sixteen Decisions” Campaigns have been working for women’s economic self-determination It has been working for borrowers’ Social development for the last three decades, All of these are example of “Women’s Holistic Development” (WHD)

35. GB Participatory Development Approachcontinue-5 The functions of Group Chairpersons and Center Chiefs in managing the group and the centers change every year. This gives all women the opportunity to develop leadership skills and increases leadership development among GB women borrowers. This process fits into the participatory development approach as grassroots women have been improving their socio-economic status through using GB micro-credit and applying the “Sixteen Decisions” to their lives.

36. Problem/Question Please Participate Recently, GB has placed emphasis on its financial sustainability agenda How does the GB women borrowers’ social and economic sustainable development agenda relate to institutional financial sustainability? How gender development agenda could be incorporated and promoted through Grameeen Bank.