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Abstract:
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"In the context of decentralization, community participation becomes a key to the building of a successful learning process. By providing the opportunity for access and control, to both men and women, better decision making processes can be created. This paper presents preliminary research findings from the villages of Sungai Telang and Lubuk Kambing, Jambi Province, that reveal women's experiences of various types of gender inequity. These inequities preclude women from participating effectively in decision making processes for development planning, both within the family and at the village level.
"We have been using the Participatory Action Research approach, and working with four groups, two all women, and two all men. In Sungai Telang, there are significant matrilineal tendencies; whereas Lubuk Kambing presents more patrilineal or at least bilateral leanings. In both communities, women are actively involved in day to day natural resource management. A central purpose of our research is to catalyze more effective collective action among these naturally occurring groups. One of our goals is to strengthen community members' capacity to make their aspirations known at the district level.
"This paper will examine both people's motivations to engage in collective action, and provide some indicators for the assessment of its effectiveness in these two communities."
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