CARE Bangladesh Strategic Impact Inquiry

Areas of Inquiry What are the underlying assumptions in CARE B’s literature on gender and power Men’s and women’s own views of empowerment and gender relations Women’s strategies to negotiate their marginalization

Country Comparison B’deshEquadorYemen Main ReligionIslamChristianIslam Population (mn) Area (000 km2) Pop density (km2) GNI per capita ($) Life Expectancy (men / women) 61 / 6268 / 7359 / 61

The Northwest of Bangladesh less conservative low wage rates few non-farm industries seasonal hunger intra-regional variation

Context Analysis - Union distribution of state funded development schemes local forms of justice (salish) role of elected women members

The Democratic Process Vote purchasing High costs associated with campaigns Costs are recovered through dispute arbitration and distribution of entitlements Politicians use musclemen Although rare, resistance exists

Women in the Union Parishad Women members are marginalized, but have begun to assert themselves Husbands with connections are key Adopt corrupt practices Are divided Serves as dispute arbitrator

Study community in relation to the union Politically in a significant ‘ward’ Their candidate lost the last election Cut off from relief in crisis Local elite distributes money for vote and extracts money through dispute arbitration

1900 Settlement of Hamlet 1968 Women vote for the first time (A Samad) 1968 First incidence of corruption in electoral process 1972Women began selling labour in agricultural field 1974 Famine 1976 First Deep Tube Well installed in the area 1980’ Girls begin to attend school 1987 Severe flooding 1988 Severe flooding 1988 Migration to Bogra, Dhaka & Chittagong begin 1990’ Credit NGO’s begin to work 2003 Amlagachi market developed by CARE 2004 Para was 100% sanitized KEY EVENTS

97 Households 11 HHs are women headed Muslim para relatively limited economic differentiation 4 NGOs Para Profile

LAND DISTRIBUTION

Well off A-12 MediumB-28 Low. Mid. C-19 PoorD-29 Extr. poor E-9 Out side Para Sell labor Own 2-8 bigha land; F.S. Round the Year Share out lives stock They help extreme poor (Fithra, money etc) They can sell rice after consumption. Own 1-2 bigha land; F.S. 8 months Share in livestock Very few sell labour. Some migrate to Dhaka Own decimal land; F.S. 6 Months Sharecropper Some sell labour. 6 month RPA Own only homestead; F.S. 1 – 2 Months Van puller Sell labour Some are sharecroppers Women-headed households Own only homestead; No Food Security Works in others’ home / sell labor. Take help from well off families Rare Provide assistance or capital Well Being Grouping and Economic Relations in Jalagari

- Five kin group that vary in terms of number of households - Fairly even class distribution among kin groups -Fairly even NGO membership distribution with 80% all HHs involved in NGOs Kinship Patterns

Wealthier woman ● Very limited interaction/relation with non kin within para ● Very limited/no mobility outside para Wealthy and lower middle class women ● Purdah conscious Poor and very poor women ● Have large number of interactions and relations with extended kin and non kin inside and outside para ● Frequently go to nearby market ● Have interactions with outside service providers Network Analysis

SHAHEBANI ZAHURA SOCIAL WITHIN HAMLET CLOSE KIN DISTANT KIN ECONOMIC Network Diagram of a Poor and a Rich Woman in Jalagari