Challenging traditional gender roles in Cuba: Analysis of an empowerment project from OXFAM aiming at gender equality on the Carribean island
Authors
Becker, Maria ; Sabé Dausá, Mar ; Ziliani, Stefania
Term
4. term
Publication year
2016
Pages
110
Abstract
This thesis examines why the empowerment strategies used in Oxfam and the EU’s “Suburban Agriculture and Cooperative Strengthening” project were insufficient to realize gender equality in rural Cuba. Against the backdrop of persistent traditional gender roles, it analyzes the project’s gender efforts within 16 economic initiatives in 10 cooperatives (2011–2015), where women were enabled to start and manage enterprises such as laundrettes, handicrafts, and cheese production. The study adopts a qualitative, constructivist, and inclusive design, combining primary and secondary sources: Oxfam’s final report, women’s testimonies, an interview with the project manager, and project communication materials. The authors clarify their own definitions of “gender equality” and “empowerment,” assess how Oxfam understands these concepts, and apply Malhotra, Schuler, and Boender’s measurement framework for qualitative empowerment indicators as an evaluation tool. Findings indicate that the goal of gender equality was not fully achieved: equality was framed largely as a women-only issue, gender was closely associated with biological sex, and the principle of participation was only partially implemented, with women involved in segments of decision-making rather than earlier organizational stages. The thesis recommends that NGOs, practitioners, and policymakers adopt alternative empowerment strategies, comprehensive evaluation tools, and account for local context and culture to challenge entrenched norms.
Specialet undersøger, hvorfor de empowermentstrategier, der er anvendt i Oxfam og EU’s projekt “Suburban Agriculture and Cooperative Strengthening”, er utilstrækkelige til at realisere kønsligestilling i landdistrikter i Cuba. Med udgangspunkt i vedvarende traditionelle kønsroller analyseres projektets indsats for ligestilling i 16 økonomiske initiativer i 10 kooperativer (2011–2015), hvor kvinder fik mulighed for at etablere og lede virksomheder som vaskerier, håndværk og osteproduktion. Undersøgelsen bygger på et kvalitativt, konstruktivistisk og inkluderende design med kombination af primære og sekundære kilder: Oxfams slutrapport, kvinders vidnesbyrd, et interview med projektlederen samt projektets kommunikationsmaterialer. Forfatterne afklarer egne definitioner af “kønsligestilling” og “empowerment”, analyserer Oxfams forståelse heraf, og anvender Malhotra, Schuler og Boenders måleramme for kvalitative empowermentindikatorer som evalueringsværktøj. Resultaterne viser, at målet om ligestilling ikke blev fuldt opnået: ligestilling blev primært behandlet som et kvindeanliggende, “køn” blev tæt knyttet til biologisk køn, og deltagelsesprincippet blev kun delvist realiseret, idet kvinder kun indgik i dele af beslutningsprocesserne. Specialet anbefaler, at NGO’er, praktikere og beslutningstagere anvender alternative empowermentstrategier, helhedsorienterede evalueringer og tager lokal kontekst og kultur med i planlægningen for at udfordre dybt forankrede normer.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]