Mikro Kredi ve Toplumsal Cinsiyet: Eleştirel Bir Değerlendirme

Öz

Başlangıcı Güney ülkelerine dayanan, faiz karşılığında ödünç para verme ve tasarrufu teşvik etme esasına dayalı mikro kredi programları bugün itibariyle dünya çapında yaygınlık göstermektedir. Temelde kırsal yoksulları, özellikle de yoksul kadınları hedef alan mikro kredi programları hem küresel kapitalizmin gereklerine uygun sürdürülebilir ekonomik gelişmeyi temin etmeyi hem de kadınları piyasadaki üretken faaliyetlere katmayı amaçlamaktadır. Mikro kredi finansal sürdürülebilirlik, yoksulluğun azaltılması ve kadınların güçlendirilmesi gibi üç ana paradigmaya dayalı olarak kurumsallaştırılmıştır. Kadınları güçlendirme vurgusunun yoğun olduğu mikro kredi programlarında toplumsal cinsiyet perspektifinin eksikliği dikkat çekmektedir. Oysa kadınlar, henüz işin başındayken krediye erişimlerinde, kredi kullanım modellerinde, piyasadaki üretken faaliyetlere katılımlarında ve krediyi geri ödeme sürecinde ataerkil baskı ve kısıtlamalara maruz kalabilmektedirler. Bu durumda mikro kredi yoluyla kadınların ailede ve toplumda ekonomik, sosyal ve politik açıdan güçlenecekleri iddiası tartışmaya açık hale gelmektedir. Bu makalede kadınların mikro krediyle ilişkileri sorunsallaştırılarak, onların bu programlardan diledikleri gibi faydalanmalarını ve hedefledikleri sonuçlara ulaşmalarını engelleyen toplumsal cinsiyet ilişkileri ele alınacaktır

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Mikro Kredi, Kadınların Güçlendirilmesi, Feminist Güçlendirme, Toplumsal Cinsiyet İlişkileri

Micro Credit and Gender: A Critical Assessment

Öz

Micro credit programs, which are based on lending money on interest and encouraging savings, have been first been used in Southern countries and are now being implemented worldwide. Mainly aimed at the rural poor, particularly poor women, micro credit programs seek to ensure sustainable economic development in line with the requirements of global capitalism and to include women in the productive activities of the market. Micro credit has been made institutionalized based on three main paradigms, namely financial sustainability, poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment. In micro credit programs, where the emphasis on women’s empowerment is strong, the lack of a social gender perspective is striking. In fact, women may face patriarchal pressure and restrictions at the start in access to loans, loan usage models, participation to the productive activities in the market and during loan repayment. Thus the allegation that by way of micro credit, women will be empowered in terms of economic, social and political means in the family and society becomes questionable. This article, by problematizing women’s relationship with micro credit, will discuss social gender relationships which prevent them from making use of these programs as they wish and from achieving the results they intend

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Micro Credit, Women’s Empowerment, Feminist Empowerment, Gender Relations

Kaynakça

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