A Gendered Analysis of the Income Generating Activities under the Green Morocco Plan: Who Profits?

Bernadette Montanari,Sylvia I. Bergh

doi:10.1007/s10745-019-00086-8

Bernadette Montanari, Sylvia I. Bergh

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10745-019-00086-8

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Journal: Human Ecology	Publication Date: Jun 1, 2019
Citations: 29	License type: open-access

Affiliation: Erasmus University Rotterdam

Abstract

Since 2005, major donors have been expanding Morocco’s programs to combat poverty, social exclusion and gender inequality. Yet, despite newly designed programs that advocate participatory approaches, empowerment and inclusion, rural women endure a persistent marginalization in development programs. This article explores the latest strategies of the Green Morocco Plan (GMP) and the income generating activities (IGA) strategies that seek to support the employment and autonomy of rural women. Interviews and focus groups were conducted with women in seven villages in Rhamna province and with key official informants. The study shows that the women’s participation in income generating activities and rural cooperatives’ decision-making processes is virtually non-existent and that empowerment and gender equality is not unfolding for women. Rather, the women’s involvement in running cooperatives is limited to providing cheap or even free manual labor, while only literate and generally educated people are able to benefit economically from the cooperative structures.

Highlights

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are central notions in current development discourse and key features of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the more recent SDGs (SDG 2017)
This article identified and analyzed the flaws and mechanisms that prevent the equitable participation of women in the income generating activities (IGA) of cooperatives in the context of the Pillar II of the Green Morocco Plan (GMP)
The findings should be read against the background of the GMP’s general outlook, which is privileging an economic agenda based on the development of public private partnerships (PPP) in large economic ventures

Summary

Introduction

Gender equality and women’s empowerment are central notions in current development discourse and key features of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the more recent SDGs (SDG 2017). Criteria like access to aid, education, and health care, economic status, and equal participation in decision-making feature in the discourse of gender equality and empowerment (Potter 2013). It is often assumed that these can be gained from economic development (Hanmer and Klugman 2016). The assumption that empowerment can be gained through economic development has received much criticism (Cornwall and Edwards 2010; Grabe 2012; Hanmer and Klugman 2016; Kabeer et al 2013; Potter 2013).

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