Category Archives: Gender

Final Group Analysis

Our final group analysis was guided by the following objectives:

  1. Identifying the key problems and social norms within the communities we visited
  2.  Prioritize and group the problems
  3.  Look at existing resources within the communities
  4. Identify activities we can modify in our existing work plan
  5.  Based on the research define what empowerment of females within these communities will look like
  6.  Action Plan: where do these finding fit? How can we include them into our work plan? How can we make them happen?

First we wrote down the problems and Social norms which stood out to us in both field visits. We then posted all of those findings on the board, and together categorized them into clusters. We ended up with four main categories:

  • Household Equity
  • Social Norms
  • Livelihoods
  • Nutrition

In groups we identified the main issues in each category and the role cultural beliefs, social norms and practical matters (such as access to resources) play. Combining these findings with the suggestion we had received from the respondents, we set about finding activities that could be incorporated into the Fish on Farms strategy.

I will use my group’s findings to demonstrate what the process involved and what the conclusions looked like. Please keep in mind that the following solutions are from our initial impressions only and do not represent the final results.

In my group we focused on  Household Equity and identified three areas that needed improvement:

i-                    Reducing the burden of household chores on women

ii-                   Reduce alcohol consumption of men

iii-                 Involve women in household decision making

We proposed the following as means of achieving these goals

i-                    Reducing the burden of household chores on women

Involve men in the training and education sessions so they are more aware of what the household chores involve. In the training sessions take a proactive approach; for example have the men prepare a meal. This way the men can experience what the process involves.

ii-                   Reduce alcohol consumption

Using role play, involve the men in the discussion about alcohol consumption and try to obtaining their opinion and identify circumstances that lead to drinking. For instance what are the social pressures that lead to drinking? Concurrently we can put a strong emphasis on the potential of the money that is spent on alcohol; we will add up the amount spent on alcohol within one year and talk about what they could use that money for ( ie. Farming equipment).

iii-                 Involve women in household decision making

In our research we found that women can make small daily decisions such purchasing household ingredients. However, when it comes to making bigger decisions such as selling household assets they do not have authority.  We attributed this to two factors: 1- A lack of income from women, 2- Lack of confidence in decision making.

To empower the women we hope to generate income through the Fish on Farms project. We will complement this by training the women in book keeping and budgeting. To enhance the women’s confidence levels we concluded that it is important to recognize their achievements and reward good decisions.

While coming up with these solutions our goal was to involve all members of the household, since it is the household as a unit which can drive the change and not individual members.

The next step of the baseline gender analysis is to start coding all of the summaries from our interviews on the field, and this will involve nothing more than an able body (ie. me), a laptop, and a long list of summaries to review. So stay tuned for the next post which will explain what coding is and what the process involves.

 

 

Body Image Tool

One of the most interesting tools that we used in the gender survey was the Body Image of Men and Women. The objective of the tool was to illustrate the different behavioral expectations for men and women, how they were learned, and to identify the consequences for people who do not follow them. This was done in separate groups of men and women; the men discussed the behavioral expectations for men and the women discussed the behavioral expectations for women.

I was fortunate to observe the focus group discussion of the women for this tool. First, we had the participants draw a picture of an ideal woman, which depicted how she was expected to look, dress and stand. Then as a group, the participants brainstormed the important qualities that an ideal woman should have and wrote them around the drawing.

An ideal woman is expected to dress modestly and neatly, and stands with her feet close together.

This tool illustrated the very different behavioral expectations for men and women. A man is expected to be strong and to be responsible for the family’s income, while it is important for a woman to be a good housewife and a good caretaker of the children.

Our participants came up with 13 qualities that an ideal woman should have such as politeness and docility, patience, respect for her husband and respect for the elders. She needs to be a good housewife who does not leave the house. And she is responsible for the wellbeing of the children and the management of all the household assets such as the income earned by the husband, the cows, and the pigs.

After drawing, we discussed the importance of each of the qualities and the consequences for those who did not live up to the expectations. These behavioral expectations were learned from a young age from their parents, older siblings and teachers. When these expectations were not met, the people in the community would say that she was a bad woman and won’t befriend her. Also, it will only affect her family’s wellbeing if she was unable to fulfil her responsibilities. For instance, if she wasn’t patient with her husband when he picked a fight with her when he was drunk, then the conflict will not end and this is not good for her family, especially the children. She will also get into trouble with her husband if she did not do the household tasks or manage the assets well.

The women found some rules to be hard to follow such as always being patient with their husbands, especially when they were drunk, or staying at home all the time because they needed to have relationships with their neighbours who were also a great information source.

This tool has made them realized that there had been behavioral changes in the community that diverged from the traditional rules. Even though the women believed that these expectations had their merits, they had noted some positive changes that had taken place. The women reason and question other people more now and they are allowed to leave the house for income-earning, such as working in the factories in Phnom Penh.  They saw these changes as positive because they increased the family’s income and improved their livelihoods.

In addition to improving nutrition, the objective of Fish on Farms is also to improve livelihoods by empowering women. The information gathered through this process is important for our project because we can use this to study the problems that are faced by the women in the community such as domestic violence, and the roles of women in decision-making and income management.

Field Data Collection: Part II

As mentioned before, our days on the field were paced for one day of data collection followed by a day of summarizing our findings.

Once all the raw data was collected from our group discussions and interviews, they were consolidated- to ensure all notes were collected and consistent. Next, the notes were summarized using a set of questions particular to each tool. This was an interesting and effective method; it guided our taught process to look beyond mere facts, and start to make connections.

After summarizing the notes each group presented their findings, which was followed by group discussions of the results. These discussions allowed for comparison of the  different  groups and highlighted areas in need of improvement. Overall, I found that these deliberations gave a holistic outlook to each community and gave a glimpse of what each group’s expectations are.  We ended each discussion by clarifying areas that lacked information, and what can be done the next day to ensure they were addressed.

On our last day we summarized our overall understanding of the gender related issues in the communities we had visited. We concluded that for our next field visit we will focus on the following topics:

  • Migration for work, and the impact it has on the children that are left to the care of grandparents. What is the impact on their nutritional status.
  • Learn more about domestic violence in the communities. What resources are available for women who decide to take action against it?
  • Learn more about fish preferences, especially the six fish species that will be used for Fish on Farms project.
We will be returning to the Field on November 6th, to interview new groups and key informants in different districts, so please look for a post that will cover the events once we are back.

Field Data Collection: Part I

Our first round of field data collection for Baseline Gender analysis started in Chrey Seima Village, where the garden and fishpond arm of the project is being implemented. After a long day’s journey we were anxious to get started.

The first tools to be implemented were the gender timeline and seasonal calendar tools. For these tools we held separate FGD for men, women and the elders; this was done to allow for comparison of opinions held within each group. I was involved with the gender timeline for women, where we discussed how gender trends had changed in recent years. I was surprised at the group’s willingness to participate! Their enthusiasm was encouraging; they expressed their appreciation for the work that various NGOs had done over the past few years, and were very adamant in their request for more support, especially to help reduce domestic violence.

The second day of field data collection was conducted in three separate villages, all of which were part of the control group. Here, I conducted key informant interviews with the VHVs and VMFs to learn about what they consider as “healthy foods” and how they cope when food is scarce. With the help of my very reliable translator, Hellina Sarin, I was able to learn about their understanding of good nutrition and especially the role fish plays in a healthy diet.

The final day of data collection also took place in three separate villages (Sanloung I – III). It was the busiest one yet!  We conducted 6 group discussions with male, female and mixed respondent groups, who are part of the garden arm of the Fish on Farms project.

Here is a list of the villages we visited and the tools that were covered:

Day 1

Tools:  Seasonal Calendar and Gender Timeline

  • Chrey Seima Village , Chea Khlang Commune, Svay Antor District, pond and garden group
  • Chhkae Kaun village, Chea Khlang Commune, Svay Antor District, pond and garden group

Day 2

Tools:  Nutrition & Copings Strategies, Fish Preference, Division of  Household Tasks and Venn Diagram

  • Thnoung Village, Chea Khang Commune, Svay Antor District, control group
  • Prey Khla I Village, Prey Khla Commune, Svay Antor District, control group
  • Prey Khla II Village, , Prey Khla Commune, Svay Antor District, control group

Day 3

Tools: Financial Management, Gender Drawing, Asset Management, and Gender Trends

  • Sanloung I Village, Angkor Tret Commune, Svay Antor District, Garden group
  • Sanloung II Village, Angkor Tret Commune, Svay Antor District, Garden group
  • Sanloung III Village, Angkor Tret Commune, Svay Antor District, Garden group

As I had mentioned in the previous blog post, each day of data collection was followed by a full day of data summary and preliminary analysis. So please stay tuned for our next post which will discuss the details of how this process took place and our conclusions.

Baseline Gender Analysis

Tomorrow the Baseline Participatory Gender Analysis of Fish on Farms will begin. The purpose of this is to gain a better understanding of the role gender plays in mixed-farm livelihood systems. This process involves a number of Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) tools to collect the data. A participatory process is particularly important as it involves the community participants, who will be the agents of change,  to be engaged as co-investigators. The information gained here will be used to inform a “Gender Aware” behaviour change for the project.

More specifically the tools we will be looking at are:

1) Historical timeline of gender changes – to understand how gender roles have changed in recent years, what factors have made them change, and what community members think about these changes.

2) Bodymap (image of ideal husband/wife) – to illustrate behavioral expectations and images for men/women, and to identify the consequences for people who do not follow it.

3) Market and extension access – to understand different agriculture and aquaculture institutions and services in the community to which men and women have access.

4) Gender division of labour – to view how household management tasks are divided among household members, to understand men’s and women’s views about what constitutes “work’’ and to demonstrate a tool that will help community members assess their situation.

5) Fish preference ranking – to better understand categories and species of fish that men and women prefer for consumption and marketing. And to identify any food taboos associated with different fish species and to explore decisions to sell or to consume fish products.

6) Asset control and management – to understand how men, women, and elders have ownership and decision-making control over critical livelihood assets, and to understand how men and women define “control” over asset-related decisions.

7) Seasonal calendar matrix – to understand seasonal and gender patterns related to the production, sale and consumption of agriculture and horticulture products, and how decisions about sales and consumption are made.

8) Financial management and meanings of income controlto understand the diversity of sources of income from men, women, and other family members, and how different family members are involved in managing, saving, and making decisions about income.

9) Nutrition and coping strategies – to understand the relationship between food and health/well-being; how people try to maintain good health for the family; and how they cope when food supplies are low.

10) Key informant interview – to better understand community leadership opinions on gender issues, opportunities, and priorities in the community.

The implementing staff, comprising of the HKI and NGO field staff officers, were trained over the past week to administer the research exercises. The training was focused on conveying the concept and purpose behind each tool and questionnaire guide. Each tool was reviewed and practiced separately, through team work and participatory learning.

Since the quality of the research is dependent on the responses given, special emphasis was put on asking “probing questions”.  This style of questioning is of particular importance, since oftentimes there is a lot that we can learn by simply questioning the responses given, such as “why is that important?” Or “What happened as a result?”

With these skills at hand, the implementing staff are now equipped to facilitate an open dialogue to gain insight into the role gender plays in these communities. Over the next seven days the research will be paced to allow for a full day of data analysis in between each data collection day. This method allows for critical reflection of the findings and minimizes loss of detail.

Stay tuned for more on the Baseline Gender Analysis from our new students in the field (and authors of this post), Pardis Lakzadeh and Hellene Sarin!