When culture trumps ideology : micro-enterprise and the empowerment of women in Bangladesh
Abstract
This paper offers a perspective of micro-enterprise as an instrument for facilitating the empowerment of
women, as seen through the experiences of women in Bangladesh. It is usual to treat empowerment as an individual
pursuit and, therefore, as a particularized endeavour that is of a short-term and potentially temporary nature. This,
by implication, diminishes the importance of structural approaches to changes in society that have long-term and
quasi-permanent consequences. The article distinguishes between the woman as a person and the social nature of her
existence. Empowerment is situated in the context of two importantparameters: (1) culture is seen as the sign$cant
environmental variable - as opposed to the conventional posture of ideology (for example, capitalism) as dominant;
(2) the group and the constituent members are treated as subjects in the discourse on development - as
opposed to being treated as objects. The resulting focus is on the woman as a member of a household and a chosen
community that generate social income and social capital. The article uses first-person narratives as evidence of
women's ownership of their empowering experiences.
Description
Includes abstract in French
item.page.type
Journal Article (peer-reviewed)
item.page.format
Text
Keywords
BANGLADESH, WOMEN, MICROENTERPRISES, EMPOWERMENT, WOMEN'S RIGHTS, WOMEN WORKERS, POVERTY ALLEVIATION, ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN, CREDIT, SMALL ENTERPRISES, MICROCREDIT, WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT
Citation
Reza, H. (2003). When Culture Trumps Ideology: Micro-Enterprise and the Empowerment of Women in Bangladesh. Canadian Journal of Development Studies, 24(3): 439-459.