Rural Woman and Local Development Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan Regional Synthesis Report Rural Woman and Local Development Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan Regional Synthesis Report Rural Woman and Local Development Regional, Analytical and Evaluative Study: Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan Edited by Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research The Regional Economic Empowerment of Woman Project (REEWP) «CAWTAR» & «OXFAM-Québec» Technical supervision Dr. Soukeina BOURAOUI Dr. Faiza BENHADID National Reports Jordan: Dr. Amel AWAWDA` Tunisia: Rim HALWAS - Afef CHOUKRI - under the supervision of Dr. Sihem NAJJAR Palestine: Iyed OMRA under the supervision of Dr. Elyne KUTTAB Regional Report Rim AL JABI This report is published in the framework of the Regional Economic Empowerment of Woman Project (REEWP), a project undertaken with the support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The content, opinions and interpretations expressed within this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors unless specifically stated otherwise. It can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the Government of Canada or OXFAM-Québec or CAWTAR Table of Contents I. Introduction...........................................................................................7 1. Research objectives...............................................................................7 2. Research methodology..........................................................................8 3. Research samples and definitions..........................................................10 II. Cognitive framework and general context..............................................12 1. The Arab woman, her environment and social context......................12 2. Rural woman and their social environment.........................................16 3. Targeting rural woman in development................................................19 III. Research analysis using the gender-based approach..........................22 1. Gender and practical and strategic needs...........................................22 2. Gender-based interventions................................................................23 3. Gender-based diagnosis and analysis..................................................25 4. Gender and development indicators....................................................27 5. The gender gap...................................................................................28 IV. Gender and the economy....................................................................30 1. Indicators of successful development.................................................30 2. Desired change from development projects.......................................31 3. Economic empowerment of rural woman.............................................33 4. Gender, microeconomics and macroeconomics..................................35 5. Gender and international conventions related to economics..............36 6. Divisions of labour, tasks and distributions of roles in rural areas......37 7. Monitoring and evaluation....................................................................40 V. The rural woman’s reality..................................................................41 1. Conservative social environment.........................................................41 2. Poverty and deteriorating standards of living.....................................41 3. Marginalization of the economic role of rural woman..........................42 4. Rural woman’s access to and control over economic resources...........43 5. Rural woman and ownership over the means of production...............46 6. Rural woman and their relations with the local institutions................46 7. Rural woman and decision-making processes.....................................47 VI. Positive impact of local economic development projects....................50 1. Improved standards of living...............................................................50 2. Improved social relations.....................................................................51 3. Progressive steps towards empowerment...........................................52 4. Improvements on the personal level....................................................52 3 VII. Obstacles and challenges..............................................................................53 1. The absence of effective mechanisms and institutions to capitalize on benefits yielded from development projects......................................................53 2. Poor management of administrative matters.......................................................54 3. Poor infrastructure and services...........................................................................55 4. Social obstacles...................................................................................................56 5. Poor transportation and access to markets..........................................................57 6. Increased burdens on rural woman......................................................................57 7. Compatibilities between projects and skills and culture......................................58 8. Low standards of education...............................................................................59 9. Family relations and family size........................................................................59 10. Harsh natural environments................................................................................60 11. Lack of awareness of rights and enduring stereotypes.......................................61 12. Funding and marketing challenges and difficulties...............................................61 13. Poor monitoring and evaluation............................................................................62 VIII. Analysis and diagnosis..........................................................................................63 IX. Findings and recommendations...........................................................................64 1. Priorities for the economic empowerment of rural woman.................................65 2. Granting rights to woman in general and to rural woman in particular...............66 3. Policies and programmes..............................................................................66 4. Administrative laws and measures............................................................67 5. Increasing awareness ..............................................................................67 6. Project monitoring and evaluation...............................................................67 7. Training, capacity-building and technical assistance.....................................68 8. Focus on infrastructure..............................................................................68 9. Loan access and loan mechanisms..........................................................68 10. Networking ................................................................................................ 68 11. Sustainability .............................................................................................69 X. Recommendations......................................................................................70 12. At the macro-level........................................................................................70 13. At the meso-level.......................................................................................71 14. At the micro-level......................................................................................72 XI. Conclusions................................................................................................73 4 Regional, Analytical and Evaluative Study: Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan Acronyms AED Academy for Educational Development AMENCA II Australian Middle East NGO Agreement Phase 2 ARIJ Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem ASALA Palestinian Businesswomen’s Association AWID Association for Women’s Rights in Development AWLN Arab Women Legal Network AWP Annual Work Plan AWSO Arab Women Speak Out BDS Business Development Service BoD Board of Directors CA Contribution Agreement CAWTAR Center of Arab Women for Training and Research CBO Community Based Organization CDC Community Development Center(s) CEDAW Convention for Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women CESVI Cooperation Esvi Luppo (Italian NGO) CIDA Canadian International Development Agency CoC Chambers of Commerce CPO Project Officers/KP CRTD-A Collective for Research and Training on Development-Action CSO Civil Society Organizations CSW Commission on the Status of Women CSW56 The 5th Commission on the Status of Women EEW Economic Empowerment of Women EnACT Enhancing Trade Capacity Project (executed by ITC-International Trade Centre) EPP Emergency Preparedness Plan ESCD Economic and Social Development Center EU European Union FAO Food and Agriculture Organization FCIL Fonds Canadien d’Initiative Locale FDD Fonds de développement durable - Oxfam-Québec GBV Gender Based Violence GDFA Groupement féminin de développement agricole GEWOG Gender Working Group (European Union) GIZ Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GO Governmental Organization GSF Gender Social Fund (CIDA / Jordan) GSVC Gender Sensitive Value Chain HQ Headquarters HR Human Resources ICT Information Communication Technology IFES International Foundation for Electoral Systems IGPs Income Generating Projects ILO International Labour Organization INGOs International Non-Governmental Organizations IRDU Information and Research for Development Unit (IRDU) – JOHUD/Jordan JCA Joint Communication Activity JNCW Jordan National Commission for Women JOHUD Jordanian Hashemite Fund for Human Development IGTN International Gender and Trade Network KPOs Key Partner Organizations L1, L2 Locality 1, Locality 2 5 Rural Woman and Local Development MAFFEPA The Ministry of Women, family and Children and the Elderly M&E Monitoring & Evaluation MEG Middle East Golf MENA Middle East and North Africa MOAg Ministry of Agriculture (Lebanon) MOJ Ministry of Justice MOL Ministry of Labour (Jordan) MoPIC Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation (Jordan) MoSA Ministry of Social Affairs (Lebanon) MoSD Ministry of Social Development (Jordan) MURWC Marketing Unit of Rural Women Cooperatives (Lebanon) NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization NWEC National women Employment Committee (Palestine) NGOs Non-Governmental Organisations OECD Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development OI OXFAM International OQ OXFAM-Québec PA Palestinian Authority PAM Palestinian Monetary Authority PIC Project Implementation Committee PIP Project Implementation Plan PMF Performance Measurement Framework PO Project Officer PoA Plan of Action POM Project Officers Meeting PSU Jordan-Canada Program Support Unit PCEIS Phoenix Center for Economic and Information PBYC Princess Basma Youth Center PSC Project Steering Committee Q 1,2,3,4 Quarter 1,2,3,4 QR Qualitative Research RBM Result-Based Management R&KO Research and Knowledge Officer RWCs Rural Women Cooperatives REEWP Regional Economic Empowerment of Women Project SBDC Small Business Development Center (JOHUD / Jordan) TOR’s Term Of References TOT Training of Trainers TP Tools and policies UN United Nations UNWOMEN United Nations UNFPA United Nations Population Fund UNDP United Nations Development Program UNRWA United Nations Relief and Work Agency WBF Women Business Forum WEP Women Empowerment Program at ZENID WEEI Women Economic Empowerment Indicators WEE Women Economic Empowerment WIDE Women In Development Europe WLP Women learning Partnership SWOT Strengths Weakness Opportunities Threat ZENID Queen Zein Al-Sharaf Institute for Development (Jordan) 6 Regional, Analytical and Evaluative Study: Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan I. Introduction 1. Research objectives The research conducted for the “Rural Woman and Local Development” study has been designed as part of the Regional Economic Empowerment of Woman Project (REEWP), which aims to provide rural woman with an environment conducive to sustainable economic development. The main objective set for this study was to provide support to woman’s economic empowerment in the region, in general, with a specific focus on the situation and conditions of rural woman in Tunisia, Palestine and Jordan, in particular. Towards these objectives, researchers in each of the three countries prepared a detailed, qualitative study on ‘Rural Woman and Local Development’ in the three areas of Wadi Sbaihia in Tunisia, Khalidya(1) in Jordan, and Asira ash-Shamaliya(2) in Palestine(3). A comparative approach was adopted in this study in order to better understand the interdependencies between rural woman’s conditions and local development, and to produce more in-depth knowledge on the fundamentals and the mechanisms that impact woman’s empowerment. This approach also aims to allow for analyses that more closely links local development to contributions and benefits. At the macro-level, the three reports present an overview of rural woman’s participation by addressing the more general economic and political conditions that impact the rural areas under examination. At the micro-level, the reports present the specific factors impacting these rural woman, in an attempt to better understand mindsets, incentives and obstacles in the path towards economic empowerment, while extrapolating conclusions on the changes that are occurring, and have already taken place, and to better understand processes such as identity-building and decision-making. The research was conducted according to two interdependent focuses: the socio-economic, which provides an analysis of the economic empowerment of rural woman relative to the manner in which they interact with local development, according to a gender-based evaluative approach; and, the socio-anthropological, which seeks to study the relevant groups in the three areas selected for the samples used in this study. Finally, another major objective of this research was to provide those working on implementing the REEWP a clear and operative set of qualitative and quantitative indicators, specific to rural woman and to gender in the areas under study. 1. Khaldya is a town belonging to the territory of nomads, north of Mafraq Governorate in Northern Jordon, interval between Mafraq and Zarqa.it’s population is around 70,000 2. Asira ash-Shamaliya is a Palestinian town in the Nablus Governorate, located 6KM north of Nablus (Northern West Bank). According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the town had a population of approximately 12,000 inhabitants in 2009; www.palestineremembered.com 3. UNDP 1992 Annual Report defines sustainable development as an operation that needs to be considered in its economic, financial, commercial, agricultural and industrial context in a manner that leads to long-lasting and enduring development at the economic, social and environmental levels. 7 Rural Woman and Local Development 2. Research methodology The study uses a qualitative approach extrapolated from quantitative and qualitative research. On the quantitative level, a questionnaire was developed that focused on compiling data on specific indicators including: education, income level, social status, average family size, affiliation to an association or political party, access to public services such as electricity, water and internet, access to public transport, and the presence of effective communication networks or services. In addition to the data compiled using the questionnaire, official statistics were gathered from the Department of Statistics in Jordan, the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, the Regional Commissariat of Agricultural Development of Zaghouan and the National Agricultural Institute in Tunisia. This quantitative data effectively contributed to supporting the qualitative analysis used in the study. The research began in Tunisia in the framework of the Regional Economic Empowerment of Woman Project (REEWP), project managed by OXFAM-Québec and undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), and under the supervision and coordination of the Center of Arab Woman for Training and Research (CAWTAR), which oversaw the methodology and the various phases of implementing the research. In Wadi Sbaihia, located in the Tunisian Governorate of Zaghouan, the specific characteristics of the local community were examined in all their human, social, cultural, social and economic components, within the natural environment, and by studying the extent to which this setting impacts these components. This part of the research was conducted with the participation of many local actors and higher education institutions, such as the Institut Supérieur des Sciences Humaines de Tunis (High Institute of Human Sciences of Tunis) and the April 9 Faculty of Humanities. Students of sociology, social sciences and development studies were also recruited to participate in the research within the framework of their master’s theses and doctoral dissertations. The Institut de Recherche sur le Maghreb Contemporain (Contemporary Maghreb Research Institute) (IRMC) was asked to contribute and participate in the study by providing scientific and academic guidance to the research. Consultations that took place between all the parties involved in implementing the research and CAWTAR resulted in the adoption of a qualitative approach as the main framework for the study, in addition to utilizing quantitative data that would allow researchers to measure and examine material and tangible factors specific to rural woman on an economic, social and political level, as well as the relationships between these factors and empowerment. The latter included assessing citizens’ access to drinking water, electricity, employment and loans, as well as other components specifically related to the living standards of rural woman in Wadi Sbaihia. The research in this locality would also pay special heed to the extent to which the Woman’s Group for Agricultural Development (4) in Wadi Sbaihia plays a role in rural woman’s social and economic empowerment. CAWTAR provided logistical support by assisting in the coordination of field visits. 4. Groupement féminin de développement agricole (GFDA) 8