Gender Equity in Social Forestry Programs in Bangladesh

Abstract

Conceptual issues of gender equity in development are examined and analyzed with respect to the Social forestry project (Village and Farm Forestry Project; VFFP) as a means to redistribute access to productive resources and household benefits. A random sample of 120 VFFP participants, both men and women, was interviewed regarding their division of labor and their access to resources and benefits in relation to the project. The survey suggests that women and men produce different quantities and types of labor for the VFFP. Although women supply more labor than men, it is possible that women's overall labor burden is reduced in relation to the national average. For VFFP participants called “core farmers,” women enjoy the same access to productive resources and services as men, with the important exception that women do not generally have land rights. Yet 100% of interviewed women “core farmers” answered positively to six indicators of sociocultural advancement because of their participation in the VFFP. Among a second tier of VFFP participants called “participating farmers,” a large majority of women respondents claim rights on most resources and services important in the VFFP, although these proportions are less than among men respondents. Most women “participating farmers” answered affirmatively to the six indicators of sociocultural advancement, but in lesser proportions than among women “core farmers.”