Read the Case Studies
While the following case studies are set in African countries, the social norms presented and subsequent constraints women face are relevant for understanding gender issues in Asian countries, especially Myanmar. In many cultures it is common for men and women to perform different tasks in the household. Social norms dictate who performs daily tasks and who has access to the resources required to perform these tasks. This can include ownership of assets such as livestock.
During the Dahat Pan project, researchers found that women participated in a lot of livestock work in Mandalay region of the Central Dry Zone.
Case Study 1: The Division of Labour in Zambia
In Zambia, it was found that men usually own cattle and other larger animals, while women own smaller animals, such as goats and chickens. Keeping goats is referred to as a poor person's activity or woman's work, hence women's domination in this domain. Conversely, cattle ownership is associated with social status - the more cattle one owns, the more they feel respected in the community. In some instances, women are able to acquire ownership of cattle if they are paid to her family as a wedding gift. However, they will likely have limited control over these assets. (Source: Machina & Lubungu, 2019).
​
“We do heavy tasks or risky activities such as herding cattle far away from home. A woman cannot perform such functions. It can also degrade their dignity.”
Case Study 2: The Division of Labour in Botswana
In a similar case in Botswana, men own cattle whereas women own chickens. Here men believe taking care of chickens is women’s work because:
“Women know how to nurse and look after babies. That chicken is like a baby, you have to raise it. It is a disgrace for a woman to have no chickens.”
“I am free to follow my interests in chickens, I have a good plot of land that I control myself, and I feel proud”
Source: Hovorka (2006)
When designing research, it is important to consider who in the family is responsible for undertaking the activities that your topic is researching, because this will have implications for how to access relevant data. For example, men are commonly household heads and will therefore be the first person you contact when entering a household. If your research is about chicken production, it is important to find out who in the household is responsible for taking care of chickens and direct your data collection at them (in Botswana it is women) instead of just asking the household head. To illustrate the point, during an interview with a woman you find that chickens don’t receive enough feed during the dry season, because she doesn’t have access to money to buy feed during this time. If you had asked the household head, he may not tell you about social norms that limit her access to money and resources to provide feed to their animals.
It is for reasons such as women’s limited access to resources that development interventions that aim to empower women often try to enhance their asset base. In the above case in Botswana, the government provided grants to women to purchase a piece of land, which provided them with more space to increase their chicken production. This had the outcome of not only increasing incomes through increased chicken and egg sales but enhanced women’s social status, sense of pride and independence from men. (Source: Hovorka, 2006)
“I am happy that the government has given us this opportunity... having this security of land means I can be independent and successful in my business. I do not depend on anyone but myself.”
“The success I am having with my land is good. My husband knows this too. We both see that this is a good step for us as a family.”