A gender equity and new masculinities approach to development: examining results from a Colombian case study

ABSTRACT

In Latin America, cooperatives have proven to be powerful change agents, strengthening the longer-term sustainability of peasant agriculture to decrease vulnerability. In Colombia, the IMPACT project provided support to cooperatives, like Coocampo, in their development process. IMPACT’s work was guided by a gender equity and empowerment approach to international development. This paper examines learning that resulted from participation in IMPACT’s gender equity strategy, as realized through Coocampo activities. This qualitative case study examines how a critical transformative-learning focussed approach to gender in development, one incorporating women and men as change agents, created a shift towards a more equitable sharing of livelihood income; greater female participation in Coocampo activities and governance; and in some cases, a transformation of participants’ perceptions of their roles as women and men, of themselves, and of their possibilities in life. Scholars call for ways for men and women to work in solidarity towards gender justice. This study contributes by presenting findings where a comprehensive approach was taken to enable gender justice by working towards women’s empowerment and re-defining gender roles, and by working to improve economic security for families in an equitable way.

KEYWORDS:

• Women’s empowerment
• new masculinities
• gender justice
• cooperatives
• international rural development
• transformative learning

Acknowledgments

This work was supported through the Université de St. Boniface’s Research Grant Program. The authors gratefully acknowledge the knowledge and experiences shared by the Colombian participants who participated in this study. The authors thank the anonymous referees for their invaluable comments and advice on improving this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. For more details on IMPACT’s work, see the Cooperative Development Foundation of Canada https://cdfcanada.coop/projects/improving-economic-performance-of-agricultural-co-operatives-impact/ or the Centro interdisciplinario de estudios sobre desarrollo https://ciderpresenciaregional.uniandes.edu.co/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=55