Home Institution

University of Southern California

Publication Date

Fall 2017

Program Name

Nicaragua: Youth Culture, Literacy, and Media

Abstract

This qualitative study describes the dynamic resiliency-building process against gender-based violence in two rural coffee-producing communities in the region of San Ramon, Nicaragua. It examines the methods and efficacy of economic empowerment and educational interventions facilitated by the Union of Agricultural Cooperatives Augusto Cesar Sandino (UCA San Ramón) in addressing gender inequality, preventing gender-based violence, and increasing access to resources for women in the cooperatives of El Privilegio and Danilo Gonzales. This complex ecology, comprised of the interactions between women, their communities, available resources, and institutions, is assessed through the lens of women’s individual perspectives as they engage in three successive fights: the fight to organize, the fight to economically develop their families and communities, and the defense of their bodies. The study finds that generally, increased access to interventions and resources do seem to lessen a woman’s risk of gender-based violence, largely due to the social ties participants build via the interventions, and the sense of empowerment gained through participation and economic independence. These ties further motivate participation by the women and others within their networks. However, these same social ties may lead to social isolation of non-participants.

Disciplines

Agricultural and Resource Economics | Agricultural Economics | Civic and Community Engagement | Gender and Sexuality | Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Ethnicity in Communication | Latin American Languages and Societies | Latin American Studies | Politics and Social Change | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Regional Economics | Social and Cultural Anthropology | Women's Studies

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