“We need to empower women economically to break the vicious circle of poverty”

To strengthen its impact, ADA has identified three major issues that will be considered in all its programmes in developing countries: climate change and biodiversity, gender equality and digital technologies. How does ADA go about this? What are the challenges? As part of the series « ADA takes up the challenge », our experts explain ADA's approach.

Part 1: Interview with Aurélie Soetens, Knowledge management officer & Gender lead at ADA

Why has ADA decided to address the issue of gender equality in its programmes? 

Nowadays, women still face numerous constraints and discrimination, whether intentionally or the result of the internalisation of social and cultural norms (known as ‘gender norms’), in both the private and public spheres.

As a result, women are more affected than men by issues such as lack of access to water and energy as well as food insecurity in developing countries. On the labour market, their prospects are more limited: they often work in the informal economy and their working conditions are poorer. In many countries, they do not even have access to certain economic sectors.

The constraints faced by women therefore stem from socially constructed gender norms that dictate socially acceptable roles and behaviour for women. These norms are often limiting and hamper their ability to access and control resources, including financial resources.

These normative constraints are at the heart of a vicious circle: inequalities between men and women fuel poverty, and poverty in turn reinforces these inequalities. Nowadays, the fight for gender equality is considered a prerequisite in the fight against poverty. As an expert in inclusive finance, ADA is ready to tackle this issue by strengthening women's economic autonomy.

Regarding financial inclusion, gender norms and discrimination can hinder women's access to financial services and products, such as opening a bank account or taking out insurance. They also constrain the use of these financial services and products. These constraints on access and use are linked to both supply and demand.

On the supply side, most financial institutions do not cater properly for women. In other words, the financial products and services they offer are not entirely adapted to women's real needs. The most common example is credit products which require collateral in title deeds, whereas gender norms in some countries do not allow women to own property. 

On the demand side, there are barriers arising from structural discrimination against women. Women generally have lower levels of schooling and financial and entrepreneurial skills than men. This leads to a lack of knowledge and low confidence in themselves and their abilities. Not only does this result in lower demand for financial products and services from women, but their use is also hampered by these inequalities.

How does ADA plan to take gender inequalities into account in its programmes to ensure inclusive access for all participants? 

ADA has three priorities: strengthening agricultural and forestry value chains, youth entrepreneurship and access to basic services. We therefore need to address both the barriers to financial inclusion and the gender discrimination associated with each of these priorities. 

Firstly, we need to understand the population we are addressing and the gender norms in each context to identify the barriers faced by women. Then we will try to put in place measures to reduce or eliminate the barriers to accessing and controlling financial, technological or production-related resources, acquiring skills as well as to decision-making etc.

ADA’s minimum level of gender mainstreaming is to guarantee inclusive access for all people, men and women, to the activities that are implemented through the project. In addition, we will always ensure that our activities do not reinforce gender inequalities. The implementation of this approach requires a risk analysis.

For example, when strengthening an agricultural sector, there is a risk of excluding women from professionalised practices that generate more income. Activities must therefore be foreseen to avoid this. If, for example, strengthening the value chain requires the use of new technology, it must be ensured that women can access it financially and have the necessary skills and that it will not lead to reprisals against them.

Financial products must have conditions and characteristics that make them accessible to women. If we revert to the example of collateral, the possibility of depositing an appropriate collateral must be provided. For example, women should be able to use their business equipment as collateral. To eliminate barriers to the use of financial services, it is also necessary to ensure that women have the knowledge and skills to use these services by providing financial or digital training.  

In future, ADA aims to set up projects which have the reduction or elimination of inequalities between men and women as at least one of their objectives. This is known as the ‘gender-responsive’ approach, which opens a space to discuss gender norms with beneficiaries and all stakeholders. This approach includes a risk analysis to ensure that the project does not harm women and that women are not excluded, as well as gender equality objectives, activities and indicators to check the progress made.

For example,  ADA carried out a test project in Togo with the organisation Lady Agri to improve the working conditions of women involved in cassava processing and to increase their income by enabling them to access better markets for their produce.

What challenges does ADA face in integrating the gender dimension into its activities?

The constraints faced by women because of gender norms depend on the context in which we operate. Sometimes they intersect with other types of discrimination based on age, religion, ethnic origin, marital status and so on. The challenge is that there is no standard solution for gender equality because one must consider several factors at once, which vary from one population to another. So, when we analyse the context in preparation of a local intervention, we first need to identify the barriers we are able to tackle.

Another challenge is that ‘women’ are not a homogenous population. We need to understand who we are addressing and to do this, it can be useful to work in partnership with organisations that have a good knowledge of the local context and experience with gender issues.

Finally, it is important to involve men in some way in all interventions, even those aimed exclusively at women, at least by raising their awareness of the planned activities and expected results. Women obtaining credit or increasing their income can lead to a reorganisation of power within households, which can cause stress for both men and women, as well as frustration and sometimes violence. So, we need to listen to women as well as men and encourage their participation in discussion and reflection. If we want to give ourselves the means to bring about change, the whole community, both men and women, must feel involved and at ease with the intervention and its effects.