When we talk about community development, we talk about women and children

Day 9 of the trip focused on social planning and the role of gender in community development. We heard from staff of a government-funded program called Kudumbashree, which means “Prosperity to the Family,” followed by a feminist marxist critique of “the Kerala Model.”

Kudumbashree is a state run, locally administrated program funded by the People’s Plan Campaign.  The People’s Plan was enacted after consitutional amendments in 1993, which required a more decentralized planning process, granting local governments more administrative power as well as a higher percentage of state budgets. These amendments also enacted a mandate to alleviate poverty and provide social services. This mandate is partially aimed at addressing the historic marginalization of women and other minority groups in the planning process. Local governments now mandate participation of women through a quota requiring a 50% female representative body. Furthermore, these new changes in policy ensure that women participate in task forces and working groups and have thereby helped to bring women into the new decentralized planning process. The Women’s Component Plan has become an essential element to the anti-poverty plan. Changes to the planning process in India due to the 1993 and 1994 constitutional amendments was a constant theme throughout all of our lectures on the trip.

The mission of Kudumbashree is “to eradicate absolute poverty in ten years through concerted community action under the leadership of local governments, by facilitating organization of poor for combining self help…” The agency coordinates various socio-economic development programs ranging from micro-credit financing to food security and nutrition needs.

The program that I found most interesting was their “women status self-learning program.” Staff found that while women were bringing in extra income and learning valuable skills as a result of the micro credit program, the program did not address other gender-related problems. Domestic violence, barriers in the workforce, and the problem of dowries are still prevalent. According to the presenter, Sarada Muraleedharan, it was not enough that women get space within the public process, they need a voice as well.  Kudumbashree provides relevant literature and facilitates discussion on topics primarily pertaining to women and work such as equal wage remunerations, women and safety in the work place, and health concerns at work.

Muralledharan noted that since most literature on gender comes from outside of India so one thing the agency has done is to make the material relevant to Indian women by creating stories or newspapers. The program has been so successful that it caught the attention of national government and there is currently talk to expand the model to other states.

In the afternoon, Nalini Nayak from the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) presented a critique of the Kerala Model. She dissected women’s status in Kerala and took a closer look at the claims to women’s progress in the state. For example, while women have made strides in education, there is a higher child mortality rate among girls than boys and gendered segregation in the professions is also evident. Such inequalities or disparities are usually less obvious and therefore more difficult to address. The same phenomenon happens in the U.S.

Both presentations provided me with a better understanding of programs and perspectives related to gender in Kerala. It is encouraging to see this dialogue take place among government officials and everyday people. One thing is clear, we are certain to see great things from Indian women now and in the future.