Argentina - Women Weaving Equitable Gender Relations
In 2001, after a long period of recession, Argentina faced the greatest economic, political, and institutional crisis in its history. Unemployment reached levels nearing 18 percent and the poverty rate reached a peak of 58 percent in 2002, increasi...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2012
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2008/01/12050796/argentina-women-weaving-equitable-gender-relations http://hdl.handle.net/10986/10288 |
| Summary: | In 2001, after a long period of
recession, Argentina faced the greatest economic, political,
and institutional crisis in its history. Unemployment
reached levels nearing 18 percent and the poverty rate
reached a peak of 58 percent in 2002, increasing twofold the
number of people living the poverty line and impacting in a
disproportionate manner the most vulnerable and poverty
stricken families. The crisis also had a tremendous impact
on Argentina's middle-class. Increased unemployment and
the freezing of wages and bank deposits forced many families
to face poverty for the first time, and to seek new survival
strategies. The crisis caused the rupture of traditional
roles within the household, forcing many women into the
workforce, many young people to leave school in search of a
job, and many traditional breadwinners to remain at home. In
many cases, these changes challenged not just the economic
viability of households but the role of families.
Recognizing the potential impact of the situation, the
Government of Argentina approached the World Bank for a
small loan ($5 million), aimed at promoting gender equity
and the development of families through the Family
Strengthening and Social Capital Promotion Project (PROFAM).
The main objective of PROFAM was to address the
vulnerability of the poorest and weakest segments of the
population by targeting families as a comprehensive unit,
and by strengthening the development of each member, from a
gender perspective. PROFAM actively promoted coordinated and
cohesive cooperation between civil society organizations,
local governments and the families themselves, and
strengthened local capabilities to design, manage and
implement projects through associative networks. PROFAM also
encouraged the joint development of alternative
poverty-reduction strategies, focusing on extremely
vulnerable families. |
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