1. ‘Individually-led’ or ‘female-male partnership’ models for entrepreneurship with the BISP support: The story of women's financial and social empowerment from Pakistan.
- Author
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Tahir, Muhammad Wajid, Kauser, Rubina, Bury, Madeline, and Bhatti, Javed Shafiq
- Subjects
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POVERTY reduction , *GENDER inequality , *WOMEN , *WOMEN'S empowerment , *HUMANITARIAN assistance - Abstract
Gender and Development is a central priority of the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs). International development agencies provide adequate financial support through development/humanitarian projects to achieve specific targets related to gender equality globally. Pakistan also aims to alleviate poverty and improve the status of women in society. In this context, the ‘Banzir Income Support Program’ (BISP) has launched various cash grant programs for the poorest families in Pakistan. Women are the direct beneficiaries, but the program also produces indirect beneficiaries including male family members. The program managers believe that reduction in poverty will indirectly improve women's position within families and they will gain financial and social empowerment. How does the BISP's support enable women to challenge traditional stereotypes toward their financial and social empowerment? And in which dimension does BISP's support bring change in gender relations within the family? These are the questions addressed in the current research. A mixed-methods approach is adopted to conduct this study – both quantitative and qualitative research methods are used to collect and analyze data, which was collected in two phases. Initially, secondary data is accessed from three tehsil offices of the Multan district. To follow up, in-depth interviews are conducted with two Assistant Directors of the BISP. The findings reveal that although the BISP support has significantly increased familial income, women appear only as indirect beneficiaries of the program. They pass on allocated funds to their male family members or nominate them as active business partners. In a few cases, women have started their own businesses. Several factors influence women's decisions while selecting business options under “individually-led” or “female-male” partnership models. Newly started enterprises have increased family income dramatically, although this does not alter the patriarchal division of labour within families nor does it empower women financially as well as socially. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2018
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