microlending - Jezebel

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The Other Problem Facing Women in Afghanistan
How Mobile Phones Contribute To Female Progress In Developing Nations
Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
Money Doesn't Make The World Go Around, But It Helps

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phantom lady
10/22/09

In reply to The Other Problem Facing Women in Afghanistan
What with Eve, Nicole and these stories, I feel less than empowered. I feel hopeless and hapless. We can't get people in our own country to care about the cause of woman, how can we help those who need it even more? #afghanistan
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JerseyGrrrl
10/07/09

In reply to How Mobile Phones Contribute To Female Progress In Developing Nations
Here's the thing: Mary Wokhwale's success did not come from a cell phone; it came from her ingenuity and hard work. I've been hearing more and more about the success of microloans (especially to women) in developing places, and that's what I'm most optimistic about. I think this represents a new way of thinking in humanitarian aid and the best way to bypass corrupt government. Cell phone, goat, coffee grinder, whatever it is, it is the woman behind it that creates the success.
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History Major
10/07/09

In reply to How Mobile Phones Contribute To Female Progress In Developing Nations
I thought the minerals used to make things in cellphones was actually a detriment to the women in developing nations?
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Zombie Ms. Skittles
10/07/09

@PogoStick09: The minerals are, but that doesn't mean the phones themselves are.
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ohayou_kun
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
I agree with you, the WuDunn/Kristof excerpts make it seem like women are better then men. That just because a women in power the world would be so much better. I don't believe in that, I believe in equality for all, but I don't believe that females in power are any different from men. Women can be just as cruel and callous as men, women are people. People are capable of extreme cruelty to unending compassion. Their message may be a good one, but using it as a means to end humanities problems is not corrrect.
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whynotshesaid
08/20/09

@ohayou_kun: Did you read the article? Or are you just going off this blog entry? They don't say women are better than men. They say research shows that when aid money is given to women, they are more likely to use it for food and education, then when it is given to men, who are more likely to use it on alcohol and tobacco.

I really recommend you read the article.
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whynotshesaid
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
Okay, so I think I get what Anna N. is trying to say - that by focusing on women's issues as a means to something else, then we run the risk of seeing women's issues downgraded if this tactic fails to produce.

I see that, but I think of it a different way, not that women's rights becomes subservient to a larger goal of economic and geopolitical stability, but that it is seen as part and parcel of that larger goal.

Women's issues tend to be relegated to the "pink ghetto" of foreign policy, but this approach instead integrates them into a larger geopolitical framework that sees them not as secondary things to be handled after larger issues of poverty and war are resolved, but as essential aspects of battling those social ills. I prefer the way envisioned by the article, which says, "you know all that stuff world leaders and NGO officials are saying takes precedence over women's issues? Well, those won't go away until you give women's issues precedence." It's holistic and integrative.

I am not articulating myself well, which is frustrating to me. I hope my point is being understood.
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sacapuntas
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
International aid is really complicated shit--there's not even consensus within the aid community that it works at all in its current formation (see: Bill Easterly). But, assuming it does, it's still our money. Why not target it towards rewarding behaviors that we think are societally beneficial? The argument isn't that oh noes spendthrift men don't deserve money, it's that we're not going to give our aid money to them because the data bears out that it's not generally spent in a way that furthers our aims of reducing poverty and violence. This happens on a country-by-country basis, too. If all our aid money is spent by dictators on their personal footbaths, or disappears into a black hole of corruption, there's not a whole lot of point to continue sending it to them (unless we're propping them up for some reprehensible reason).

Sure, we're spending the aid money based on our values. But how, exactly, are you supposed to NOT do that? Give it to everyone?
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LaComtesse
08/20/09

@sacapuntas: Well said.
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whynotshesaid
08/20/09

@sacapuntas: Exactly. I don't see any reason why we shouldn't try to make sure aid is put to the best possible use.
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izzynomad
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
"Is it really their place to determine what spending is wise or unwise?"

Yes, it is. I've seen it all too often in Africa that international donations that go to families and that are controlled solely by the head of the family (i.e. the MAN) ends up as alcohol, gambling, and prostitution.

It's not entirely their fault, these spending habits are also a symptom of poverty. But as long as the money stays in the hand of a category of people that are incapable of investing in health, education, and their own children, the problem will continue for sure.
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shak_diesel
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
Although this critique brought up some interesting points, I thought WuDunn/Kristof's article smacked of paternalism in a different way. On the front page of the NYT yesterday, the headline for the Women's Crusade article was "SAVING THE WORLD's WOMEN".

I have issues with the "saving" part, it stinks of colonialistic undertones. How can you make the case for female empowerment in the Global South (because the "World's" apparently doesn't imply gender inequity in Western countries), but tie that empowerment to changing the behavior of the poor through Western interventions based on Western standards? After reading the article, I was bothered by nagging sense of the "white man's burden", especially with it's arguments and strong reliance on foreign aid (a somewhat controverisal topic in international development work/world).

Yes, as humans we have a social compact with to help one another, but in a way that culturally appropriate, culturally sensitive and gives credence to the ways and methods women in the Global South want to uplift and empower themselves.
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taranwanderer promoted this comment Edited by shak_diesel at 08/20/09 1:55 PM shak_diesel was starred shak_diesel was unstarred

taranwanderer
08/20/09

@shak_diesel: Ok, I agree with some of what you're saying. Yes, the language of "saving" is problematic and makes sounds colonialistic. I also would have liked them to include western countries in their analysis as well, but they were focusing solely on developing countries. This said, when I was emailing this article onto family/friends, I personally made sure to mention that change can and should start within our local communities. It would be nice if journalists would sometimes remember that there is still poverty in western countries as well.

Also, do you think that maybe you got the feeling that the authors are making this a "white man's burden" because the authors themselves are white? Just curious.
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sydbarrettsaves, emissary of hell
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
There are differences between men and women. I feel the crux of this argument- that women are be less inclined to spend money on alcohol or prostitution is correct. Like or not, people do engage in gendered behaviors. Whether they were socialized to do so, or do out of physiological motivators, doesn't negate the fact that certain tendencies are more prevelant in one sex.
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Edited by sydbarrettsaves, emissary of hell at 08/20/09 1:30 PM

Flackette Goes Retro
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
This is much like the people who used to argue that women should vote because of their 'innate goodness', not their 'innate humanity.' Right direction, but wrong reason.
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LaComtesse
08/20/09

@Flackette Goes Retro: Yes, except this is something somewhat more measurable than a presumed moral compass.
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SisterRay73
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
I read a book this past semester for my Legal Anthropology class about how women's rights all over the world have too long been victim to local male power (government, church, etc.) who are so insistent on keeping the status quo that whenever an outside group, such as people from the West try to intervene, these men start screaming about how the outsiders are trampling their "culture" (of misogyny and abuse). The author of this book argued that when it comes to women's human rights all over the globe, it is indeed appropriate to step in, which is why we have international legal groups made up of representatives from all over the world, and other aid organizations like that.

We can't just keep putting off helping women just because we don't know what the "ends" will be, or that we're making them into some "ideal" that we want - how is it shaping an "ideal" when the goal is simply that children grow up healthy and educated, and women aren't subjected to abuse? The whole idea of relativism and not modifying other cultures from the outside only has so much merit, and becomes increasingly problematic when people's lives and livelihoods are at stake.

I find the idea of "is it our place to determine what spending is wise or unwise" intensely frustrating - it's pretty much the exact situation we have here going on with health care or environmental issues - those who want nothing but FREEDOM and CHOICE, even when their freedom and choice is extremely destructive. Sometimes, those in power have to say "enough is enough". Maybe we don't have to necessarily say "No, Mr. XYZ, you can't spend your money on alcohol," but that's why we need mechanisms in place to give women money - and hence, power - of their own.

Maybe if we followed what the authors of this article are suggesting, we would finally start seeing results in terms of women's equality and decreasing poverty and mortality all over the world.
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Jen82
08/20/09

@SisterRay73: Slow clap.
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wordinedgewise
08/20/09

@SisterRay73: FAST clap!
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queenieinmanhattan
08/20/09

@Jen82: I second that. Well done.
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ChildBride
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
"Is it really their place to determine what spending is wise and unwise?" They're respected researchers trying to analyze paths out of poverty for families in developing nations. I can't think of anyone more appropriate to make a judgement call on wise and unwise spending patterns. In this case, why are we behaving as if stating that "spending money on alcohol rather than education is a poor choice" is some sort of Western imperialist/paternalist cultural judgement? It's so clearly not.
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Flackette Goes Retro promoted this comment Edited by ChildBride at 08/20/09 1:10 PM ChildBride was starred ChildBride was unstarred

sydbarrettsaves, emissary of hell
08/20/09

@ChildBride: Because there's a correlation between spending habits and health concerns.
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desertbloom79
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
How is asking individuals not to "whore, drink and plant bombs" paternalistic and applying awestern standard? I under the impression these were general ideas of good behaviors in all cultures- sometimes especially in countries where women are the most oppressed.
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khinky
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
Their reasoning is problematic but their suggestions are sound. From a purely pragmatic point of view, if this article can convince someone to actually put these suggestions into practise, it would be a step in the right direction. We can get the help out now and combat the bad ideals later, no?
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Anna N.
08/20/09

@khinky: I agree. I support the programs they advocate. My hope is that people reading Jezebel already think of gender inequality as a problem, and don't need to be convinced that the issue is "serious." Kristof and WuDunn's approach, though problematic, might pay off if it brings more attention to the problems of women and girls, and to their potential solutions.
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AnnieKObama
08/20/09

In reply to Are Women The New "Deserving Poor"?
Jimmy Carter wrote a great piece in July about empowering women and religion."The same discriminatory thinking lies behind the continuing gender gap in pay and why there are still so few women in office in the West. The root of this prejudice lies deep in our histories, but its impact is felt every day. It is not women and girls alone who suffer. It damages all of us. The evidence shows that investing in women and girls delivers major benefits for society. An educated woman has healthier children. She is more likely to send them to school. She earns more and invests what she earns in her family.It is simply self-defeating for any community to discriminate against half its population. We need to challenge these self-serving and outdated attitudes and practices - as we are seeing in Iran where women are at the forefront of the battle for democracy and freedom."http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/losing-my-religion-for-equality-20090714-dk0v.html?page=-1
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