Semi structured interviews for examining intra-household gender and poverty impact of micro finance : Semi structured interviews for examining intra-household gender and poverty impact of micro finance Ranjani.K.Murthy
(used in India, Vietnam, Moldova, Sudan)
Objectives : Objectives To arrive at an understanding of why intra-household gender and poverty impact assessments are important in the context of micro finance programmes
To learn from each other’s experiences in using semi structured interviews for assessing intra household gender and poverty impact of micro finance
To evolve a checklist of issues for exploration of intra-household gender and poverty impact of micro finance programmes through individual interviews (Tamil Nadu and other contexts)
To brainstorm on the dos and don’ts in carrying out such an assessment
Qualitative methods : Qualitative methods Qualitative research involves the use of qualitative data, such as interviews, review of documents, action-research, participant observation, ethnographic studies, sociogramming to understand and explain social phenomena.
Intra household interviews are one amongst the qualitative methods
Our experience is using intra-household interviews : Our experience is using intra-household interviews Pair up with a person you do not know
Find out the other person’s
Name
Organisation
Experience in using quantitative methods for intra household gender and poverty impact assessment
Introduce the other person in the larger group
Why intra-household interviews are important for assessing poverty impact? : Why intra-household interviews are important for assessing poverty impact? Household level poverty assessments often do not capture poverty* of women, girls, people with disability and elderly in the household as resources are not always equally distributed within the household.
At times household level assessments may over estimate the poverty of men as they have greater access to household resources than women.
* Poverty levels, process of slipping into poverty, means to overcome poverty
(adapted, Mayoux, 2004)
Why intra-household interviews are important for assessing gender impact? : Why intra-household interviews are important for assessing gender impact? Household is one of the key institutional sites in which gender inequalities are played out
Being considered ‘private’, household is the most difficult institution in which to bring about change
Background : Background Name
Village
Family size and composition
Nature of household (several hearthholds, one hearthhold/nuclear family, one hearthhold/larger household)
Marital status of the women
Land holding of household
Membership in micro finance and other groups (also since when, and in what position, whether attended training)
Loans (No, amounts, purposes) and savings details of members
Framework for assessing poverty and gender impact (Murthy,2000) : Framework for assessing poverty and gender impact (Murthy,2000)
Capturing Changes : Capturing Changes Compare situation before the group and as of now
Compare changes in members and non members lives during the same period (of similar background - ‘before’ period)
Explore causality of changes
Ideally parameters to be evolved with women as a collectively
Labour : Labour
May include changes in
- strengths and weakness in work
- decision to work
- number and nature of livelihood of all household members
- relations of work (self employed/wage/employer/unpaid)
- number of days of employment/involuntary unemployment
- seasonality of work
- wages
- conditions at work
- managing the enterprise
- enterprise location
May capture sex and age disaggregated data
May capture perceptions on the desirability of changes
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Mobility : Mobility Changes in
Freedom to move
Where she travels
Which institution she visits
Distance she travels
When she travels
With whom she travels
May capture perceptions on the desirability of changes
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Resources- Credit and Income : Resources- Credit and Income Changes in:
Access to credit (across sources, purposes, quantity) of different household members
Decision making on credit taken by different household members
Who is managing the enterprise
Level of income of herself and other earning household members
How much of their income different earning household members manage, how much is pooled in one place, and how much is handed over to others (to whom)
Allocation of income across various expenditure heads (by different earning household members)
In particular allocation of income to personal needs and household needs,
Allocation of income to drinking, smoking and other wasteful expenditures
May capture perceptions on the desirability of changes
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Resources: Assets : Resources: Assets Changes in:
Assets of the household (savings, land, jewels, livestock, house, machines, license etc.)
Legal ownership of the asset (where applicable)
Customary ownership of the asset
Release of any mortgaged asset
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Basic needs : Basic needs Changes in
Whether the person has a ration card, whether mortgaged or operational
Content of food eaten by different household members
Who eats first and last in the household
Quantity of food eaten by different household members
Whether food shortage is faced by the household, which season, number of days, coping mechanisms, and who bears the brunt of it
Access to drinking water/fuel: nature of water/fuel source, distance, availability, who fetches water/fuel
Who does cooking
Shelter , how many rooms, no of persons per room
Access to electricity: availability, source
Access to toilet: availability, distance, use
Any morbidity and mortality of different household members last year
Access to health services of different household members last year
Place of delivery if any of women members
Clothing
Access to nutrition service of boys and girls under five years
Access to education of boys and girls
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Political participation : Political participation Changes in:
Freedom to vote
Freedom to contest elections
Freedom to be present in Gram Sabha (village assembly) meetings
Freedom to place issues in Gram Sabha meetings
Freedom to proposal in a local government meeting
Causality of change
Bodily integrity : Bodily integrity Changes in
Decision making in the last year on whether to have children, how many, where, whether to go for contraception etc.
Experience of gender based violence at home (type, frequency, by whom, action taken).
Experience of gender/caste/religious identity/ethnic based violence at work place (type, frequency, by whom, action taken).
Experience of gender/caste/religious/ethnic based violence in the public (type, frequency, by whom, action taken)
Experience of gender/caste/religious based violence in service delivery institutions (health, nutrition/child care etc)- again type, frequency, by whom, action taken
Knowledge of sexula and reprodcutive rights
Can she say no to husband for sexuality
Freedom to marry
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Identity/happiness/autonomy : Identity/happiness/autonomy Changes in
Whether she can call her natal family to visit
Whether she can call her natal family to stay
Overall control over her life when compared to her husband/partner
Overall happiness level as a couple and with her children
Is she free to remarry
Autonomy from extended family
In relation to your natal family how do you martial family
Have you been able to change role models
Attitude twoards her/others
May capture perceptions on causality of change
Other household members’ perceptions on changes in her confidence
Dos and don’ts : Dos and don’ts In private space
Being with women and then move to her
With other members not being present
At a time convenient to the woman
Mention purpose
Start by getting informed consent
Mention confidentiality
Do not give false expectations
Interview in pairs
Sit at same level of as the woman
Conversation method, one asking, another recording/reminding
No prompting or putting your views into her mouth
Respect if the woman does not want to answer
If there is a time constraint- on the woman’s part- come back again
Find out how the woman felt about the discussion
Thank her for the time
Apologize for inconvenience
Field test before finalising (context specific variations)