Speaker

Ms Nandima Angom
Phd Student
University Of Sussex, UK

Indigenous Women and Market in Borderland City of Manipur, NorthEast India

Abstract Narrative

This paper examines the various factors that led Indigenous Manipuri women to engage in trading activities in Ema Keithel (mother’s market) and its role in achieving women’s freedom within Manipuri society. The remarkable Ema Keithel is one of the largest women’s markets in the world, where trading activities are exclusively controlled and managed by Indigenous women. A market like this is rare in a patriarchal society like India, where women tend to lose their self-confidence and agency in pursuing economic opportunities due to various social constraints. Unlike the traditional patriarchal society in India, the Ema Keithel has been the source of empowerment for Indigenous Manipuri women. The women of the market enjoy substantial economic independence and in most cases they are also the bread winner of their family. This paper argues that the Indigenous Manipuri women engages actively with market should be understood beyond mere financial vulnerability as faced by them. Women’s involvement in trading activities in Ema Keithel is embedded within the socio political and historical processes of Manipuri society. Most importantly, the market is also not a mere space for trading but it is also a place of healing and a site for women’s resistance towards dominant gendered norms and social injustice. This paper is an outcome of one year ethnography fieldwork with the women of Ema Keithel in Manipur.

Keywords: Indigenous women, market, borderland, women’s resistance, NorthEast India

Biography

I am a PhD scholar in the department of International Development, University of Sussex,United Kingdom

Xianda Gao
PhD Candidate, Department of Social Work
The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Agency of Chinese Women Workers: In the Light of Changing Cultural Capital of Resistant Women Workers

Abstract Narrative

Chinese women workers are confronted with the multiple structural tensions of capital, patriarchy and the state, and it is meaningful to see how they are able to mobilize their agency to confront the structures. Based on 21 resistant women workers as cases, using Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus and cultural capital as a framework for analysis, this study examines how migrant women workers accumulate, invest and apply cultural capital and take practice to influence dominant habitus in fields.
This study finds that women workers’ practices from silence to resistance are closely related to the development of their cultural capital, which goes through three stages. Firstly, during the accumulation of cultural capital, women workers are in a state of suffering in three main fields, where they are consciously or unconsciously conforming to the dominant habitus of patriarchy, capital and national interests. But the accumulated grievances and physical pains in their submissive silence prompted them to complain to others with similar experiences, and a sense of sisterhood and of self emerged. Secondly, during the transformation stage of cultural capital, the accumulated emotions and physical pain go beyond what the women workers can repress, while sisterhood and self-awareness promote self-reflection and an awakening of consciousness. Some women workers then continue to struggle and accumulate cultural capital in the field where they have aweken, while others apply and transfer those cultural capital they have accumulated in other fields, seeking to accumulate cultural capital and change the dominant habitus in more fields. This is the conversion stage of cultual capital.
Although not all women workers go through this linear three-stage, we believe that the accumulation, transformation and conversion of cultural capital strongly encapsulates the development of their resistance practices. In particular, the accumulated grievances of suffering and the sisterhood of caring for one another constitute important emotional cultural capital for women workers; their responses to physical pain are no longer ‘minor genre of resistance’, but rather experience reflection and conscious representation of the body as bodily cultural capital; reflection and rebellion based on their own feelings or external information become the conceptual cultural capital of women workers.
This study also discusses the relationship between individual and collective cultural capital. Women workers are emotionally connected and behaviourally supported in the collective, experiencing a shift from an individual ‘I’ to a collective ‘we’ as they reflect on power relations. More importantly, individual cultural capital may also be interconnected in three stages, becoming group or even collective cultural capital, and creating a momentum for change in deeply entrenched dominant habitus. Although practice is fraught with obstacles and women workers are often forced to make pragmatic compromises, we still see in the accumulation, transformation and conversion of their cultural capital the efforts and hopes of women workers to reshape mainstream habitus.

Ms Ramona Baijnath
Student
University Of Johannesburg

Writing Her In: Telling HerStories and Rupturing the Silent Narrative, Expanded Public Works Programme, Leratong Hospital in Johannesburg, South Africa

Abstract Narrative

Feminism in Africa is a highly contested terrain grounded in a number of socio-political indicators including class, race, education, age and privilege. The study has considered in detail the effects of patriarchy, neo liberalism, motherhood, western feminisms, agency and the perpetuation of an exclusionary discourse. Clearly, there does not yet exist a universal definition of African Feminism or feminism in general but evidence suggests that dialogue is rupturing the silent narrative. This study is grounded in the fundamentals of the African Feminist Forum (AFF) which does not deny its affiliation to the global feminist school of thought but recognises that the voice of African woman need to resonate throughout the globe in her own words. The epistemology of this paper is grounded in African feminism[s], which differs markedly from the many strands of feminism and its application on women in former colonies. The evolutionary discourse pertaining to African feminism[s] and its amoebic construction, may position this epistemology as a disrupter/interrupter of the hegemonic agenda navigated by Northern American and Western European feminists. It is important to recognise that African societies are uniquely distinct from those of Western nations and must therefore be studied and interpreted within the African context. Through the application of African feminisms there is an opportunity for the researcher to consciously illuminate the indigenous nuanced needs, hopes and desires of women in Africa. This study provides a platform to craft a discourse to both interrupt and challenge the perceived notion of the African woman. Women, even more than most men, have very little power over their own lives. Gaining such autonomy, and insisting that everyone have it, is a major goal. This paper seeks to write her in by narrating the indigenous life herstory of a woman participant in the Leratong Hospital EPWP project, highlighting the agency; innovation and decision making process which the participant exercises within her specific context through the application of African feminism(s).

Biography

Ramona Baijnath is an Industrial Sociology PhD candidate at the University of Johannesburg. Her areas of specialisation include journalism, political science, gender and sociology. Her vocation is in communications within the public sector. She is a mother of four and identifies as an African Feminist.

Dr Jose Carbajal
Assistant Professor
Stephen F. Austin State University

Women in Leadership Positions in Non-profits in Low-Middle-Income Countries

Abstract Narrative

Overview
We present the findings from our research on women’s experiences in rising to leadership positions in rural nonprofits. We expanded our study by conducting a systematic review on women in leadership in low-middle-income countries (LMICs). We compare and contrast the findings from our previous study and the findings from our working systematic review.

Objectives

1. Describe women in leadership positions in rural nonprofit organizations from a southern state in the United States
2. Explore the challenges women in leadership positions in nonprofit organizations in LMICs
3. Describe women’s leadership ascension experiences in rural nonprofit organizations and low-middle income countries
4. Examine how women in low-middle-income countries ascended to leadership roles

Abstract
Decision-making power, leadership positions, and management roles continue to be overwhelmingly dominated by men in the global context. We have seen increased enrollment of girls in the education system and women’s participation in political leaderships have more than doubled since 1995 (United Nations -UN, 2020), but men continue to hold a majority of management positions and other leadership positions. In Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, they have made substantial gains in closing the gaps in political empowerment, while East Asia and the Pacific continue to regress (UN, 2020). Despite representation in formal decision-making remains low, women are increasingly taking on leadership roles in feminist organizations and other non-profits. First, we present our findings from our study, Women ascending to leadership positions in rural nonprofit organizations. Next, we will compare the findings from our working systematic review on the same topic.
In our prior study, we sought to investigate the phenomenon of women advancing to leadership positions within rural nonprofit organizations. We utilized a qualitative phenomenological research design that explores the perception of a phenomenon and ways people perceive the lived experiences and makes sense of it (Englander, 2012; Gallagher, 2012; Giorgi, 2009; Lewis & Staehler, 2010). Our guiding research question was: What are female leaders’ experiences as they ascended to leadership positions? To explore this question, we utilized an interview protocol consisting of 10 questions related to leadership and career development. We received Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval from the principal investigator’s university. For our study, women in leadership positions were defined as people at the top management level, such as chief executive officer (CEO), chief financial officer, chief operations officer, executive director, or board president. Besides, participants had to be serving in their leadership roles within a rural community. We only interviewed individuals who were identified as meeting the criteria (e.g., female CEO or director in a rural nonprofit setting). Women were defined as individuals who identified themselves as female within a gender-binary construct. Our criteria excluded all males and anyone from an urban setting as well as females in for-profit organizations, governmental and educational entities. We used similar criteria for our LMIC study, and it is an ongoing study.
From our qualitative study, we extrapolated 155 emerging themes and, after consensus, reduced the emerging themes to 105. From the emerging themes, 10 themes were identified as primary. Then, we analyzed the data from a leadership framework and extrapolated 17 themes. After consensus, we reduced the selective themes to three, with one theme having six subthemes. The findings show that the participants similarly rose to their current positions, with most of them being hired from within the agency. They all spoke about individuals and experiences that shaped their leadership styles and paths. They also spoke about their passion for their agency and their clients and want to help others. This seemed to be the foundation for their desire to lead, which we confirmed with our findings. Their passion also influenced their longevity at these organizations. Our participants aligned their passions with the organizational missions. However, our participants reported that the expectation for them to perform as a leader was higher, and their age, gender, and ethnicity posed challenges, especially in a rural context. They discussed how crucial it was to have other women mentor them and the difference this made to their leadership approach; previous studies support this finding (Billing & Alvesson, 2000; Settles, Cortina, Stewart, & Malley, 2007). Thus, many of our participants took advantage of the leadership opportunity once presented, and their age, support systems, prior agency experiences, selflessness, and receptivity helped them succeed in these leadership positions. They noted that leading by example and with integrity contributed to their leadership effectiveness.
In conclusion, creating more opportunities for leadership for women, educating them for intentional leadership roles, and creating social support networks are several ways we can support women in closing the gap for leadership positions.

Biography

Jose Carbajal, PhD, LCSW is an Assistant Professor of Social Work at Stephen F. Austin State University. He has taught across the MSW curriculum with an emphasis on research, policy, advanced generalist practice, and community/organizational practice. He has worked in community agencies developing programs and providing therapy to children, families, and individuals. His clinical specialties are trauma (PTSD), sexual abuse recovery, domestic violence, substance abuse, and interpersonal relationship issues.

Dr Anna Chen
Lecturer, Department of Social Wor
Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, China

Community Economic Development for Migrant Women: Case Study of Two Social Work Programs in Beijing, China

Abstract Narrative

Community economic development (CED) is an inclusive and participatory process of applying economic strategy for increasing the well-being and sustainable life for community members, building on local capacities and resources, enhancing the health of the environment and creating diverse economy controlled by community rather than the market. This study analyzes two social work programs at two immigrant communities at Beijing, China. The two programs were implemented by two social work organizations, which applied CED strategy on organizing migrant women, specifically, the main methods were creating two local producers’ co-operatives- A domestic worker economic cleaning group and a female worker food production group in separate communities. Methods used include group interview and individual interview of social workers and migrant women participants of the programs, secondary data analysis of posts on their WeChat official account, and participatory observation in their activities from 2015 to 2021. The study finds the programs employ community economic development approach for social inclusion of migrant women group into the city that exclude their economic, cultural, and social participation. They integrate women’s housework skills and community social capitals in the programs. The community organizing experience of the programs shows that economic development is impossible without a solid community development foundation, but the community development cannot be such solid and sustainable without economic development. Participants are empowered both economically and socially through CED programs. Due to the challenge of the instability of participants, the 6 years of community economic development have not grown a societal power that participants could have economic autonomy and not rely on the market, and the migrant women groups still need social work organizations to facilitate their continuing organizing. However, the producers’ co-operatives do generate a community-based alternative life of environmental-friendly, labor-friendly and mutual support for migrant women participants. For better financial return and larger societal power, both programs may need to insist community-based principals for a long run and they need sustainable social investment from the society. That is, the community resources and external resources are not mutual exclusive. With more resources from researchers, practitioners and government officials in the domestic and international level, the grassroots social workers and the participants may be more confidence to the future of CED model. Implications for practice, research, education, and policy are discussed.

Biography

Dr Chen Anna is an assistant professor in the social work department at Central China Normal University(CCNU). She was trained in Wuhan, got her social work bachelor and master of social work degree in mainland, and PhD of social welfare in Chinese University of Hong Kong. She once worked in a south China NGO research center for two years and did many case studies and survey on China grassroots NGO. and currently teach domestic violence intervention course in CCNU. Her research interest include the critical social work approach, women empowerment, social development, gender and labor study. Her recent publications are: Enhance the anti-domestic violence competencies of undergraduates: action research on a social work curriculum in Mainland China. China Journal of Social Work, 2021. State Intervention and de-gendering and re-gendering community work: A field study of sex segregation of occupation in the governance of covid-19 pandemic in China, journal of Chinese Women’s Studies, 2021.

Shahana Rasool

Gender and Social Development

Abstract Narrative

In this paper I argue that dealing with gender issues are complex since it requires challenging deeply rooted structural issues that are entrenched in the psyche of communities, religious doctrine, economic systems and cultural practices. Despite, arguments which suggest that addressing gender equality is imperative for the overall development agenda in terms of economic growth; stability; enhanced productivity; and its cumulative effects on other dimensions of welfare, such as education, health, and family (Wold Bank Group, 2015; World Bank, 2012; Giugale, 2011), progress and commitment to addressing gender inequality has been variable and inconsistent. This paper will interrogate some of the core areas of social development as examples to explore the underlying issues that plague progress in the arena of gender equality. The gender issues that will be interrogated include:- care responsibilities; HIV &AIDS; violence against women; resource control; health and education. This paper highlights the importance of looking at the intersection of multiple social issues and the significance of dealing with ‘gender’ in a relational matter. It argues that there is a dire need to move beyond rhetoric pledges to improving gender disparities by committing resources, capacity, and funding to bodies established to address issues of gender equality, because these organisations are experts in raising women’s voices and developing appropriate gender sensitive interventions.