Women Builders Drive
Innovation
In an Indian state that survived a major earthquake at the turn of the
millennium, the women have come together for mutual empowerment to address
their communities’ needs. In Gujarat, the people had a need for reliable,
disaster-safe housing. The women needed stable sources of income that would not
force them to migrate; they also needed to gain a sense of respect in the
community, to gain a sense of professional confidence, and to have their voices
heard. Through a confluence of three streams for change, the women’s movement,
the labour movement and the cooperative movement, women are offering innovative
solutions to provide for immediate necessities. The Self-Employed Women’s
Association (SEWA) is a builders’ trade union heading the forefront of social
innovation.
Uncompromising when it comes to gender equality, the SEWA trade union
includes a 50-50 mix of men and women as shareholders, and a mix of seven women
to four men on the ruling committees, elected by villagers to address the local
people’s needs when it comes to housing design and construction. Women work
alongside men as skilled and semi-skilled masons. Over time, the men of the
rural communities in Gujarat have come to recognise women as their equals. Now,
some men even claim that women can surpass their male counterparts in their
performance: “The work that we do, they can do, but a lot of the work that they
do, we cannot.” Such sentiments are proof of truly effective cultural
innovation taking place in the region.
An additional innovative aspect of SEWA’s work is their success in
having made available a local production base in the villages—a source of
livelihood for women that allows them to earn without migrating long distances
away from their homes, but also gives them the opportunity to work outside
their villages if they wish to do so, and if the income is satisfactory. The
women are involved in productive labour, such as the construction of door and
window frames, and the production of building materials such as bricks. Away
from home, women are involved in the construction of water harvesting
structures and toilet blocks.
Another major innovation achieved by SEWA is the tools and equipment
bank, which ensures that skilled workers within the company do not have to turn
down job opportunities just because they do not have the necessary instruments.
By paying nominal usage fees, all members can solicit work on their own, by
posting their own tenders. The tools and equipment bank provided by SEWA allows
workers to respond to incoming orders and begin projects without delay.
SEWA’s women participants are independent, and can sustain themselves
without the support of their husbands. Their self-sufficiency has helped to
elevate their confidence levels. These women have now travelled to different
villages for work, and they now command a new sort of respect. On being asked
about how their lives have changed since they have become part of SEWA, one
woman says: “We used to stay quiet, but not anymore.” Her fellow SEWA member
adds: “We have become strong.”
Contributed by:
Development Alternatives Group
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