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What Drives Agency? What Crushes It?
Table 4.1 Top and Bottom Steps of Women’s and Men’s Ladders of Power and Freedom in Jaipur (Odisha), India Women’s top step General attitudes • Has good understanding of others’ needs and behaviors • Is the community’s face (represents the community) • Has more exposure and is mobile • Is soft spoken and approachable • Is patient and tolerant • Can adjust and accommodate to everyone • Is determined and courageous • Takes initiative and responsibility for community concerns • Is trusted and looked up to by other women • Has awareness of community development issues, but is not well educated • Has vast experience and is seen as a guardian of the community • Able to speak in front of 10 people or to outsiders • Has good relationship with others and does not have vested interest • Turns cold shoulder to the women in community Education • Has an education • She completed 10th grade with honors • She completed a nursing course in Cuttack • Worked eight years before marriage • Has husband with university degree (BSc or MPhil) Jobs and specific • Involved in community groups and is responsible community for looking after financial management of those responsibilities groups • Sometimes acts as midwife for poorer communities free of cost • Has time to devote to community causes and concerns Family and • Has relationship with spouse where they trust and household respect each other • Husband doesn’t stop wife from being active in civic organizations or holding positions in the community • Aspires to raise daughters to be independent • Does not need permission from husband to go anywhere • Has equal voice in household’s economic decisionmaking for small and large things Savings and • Saves through a self-help savings group or a chit borrowing fund habits • Has received a loan from a microfinance institution (MFI) and repaid it • Has a bank account in her name
Men’s top step General attitudes • Has money and behaviors • Has political power • Donates money to the needy Education • High school or university graduate
Women’s bottom step • Does not interact or mingle in community; stays at home • Is not very expressive • Lets husband make all decisions, economic, future of children, marriage of children, education of children • Is not very responsive • Feels (internalizes) that they cannot understand anything because they are illiterate • Has no awareness of or interest in participating in community issues • Does not have decision-making power for self • Has high aspirations for children’s education
• Is illiterate, did not complete primary education • Is less literate than husband
• Does not have a job • Mostly does housework
• Sees husband as the ultimate authority in making economic decisions • Husband is also in business • Submits completely to husband’s decisions and demands • Reveres her husband
• Has very little savings • Has only one member of family earning income
Men’s bottom step • Has low income • Has no bargaining power • Minimal or no education table continues next page
On Norms and Agency • http://dx.doi.org/10.1596/978-0-8213-9862-3