03960nas a2200253 a 450000500170000000800410001703500150005810000200007324500960009326000560018930000360024549000270028150001910030850200580049952027420055765000330329970000350333270000440336770000420341170000450345371000830349881000590358185600660364020260818095711.0160208s2012    th    m rtt   000 a eng d  a.b121613290 aKhin Yu Yu Win 10aEmpowerment of rural women through income generating activities in Magway Township, Myanmar  aPathumthani :bAsian Institute of Technology,c2012  a49  leaves +e1 online resource1 aThesis ;vno. GD-12-11  a A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment for the  requirement s for the  degree of Master of Science in Gender and Development Studies, School of Environment, Resources and Development  aThesis (M. Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 2012  a Income  generating  activities  are  widely  accepted  among  development  practitioners  as  contributing  to  poverty  reduction  and  empowerment  of  women.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  a  contesting  issue  whether  income  generating  activities  really  bring  about  positive  cha nges  in the positions of rural women in the household as well as society or not.  The  research  study  was  conducted  in  three  villages  in  Magway  Township,  Dry  Zone  in  Myanmar.  The  study  was  carried  out  to  examine  how  women's  engagement  in  income  generating  activities  have  impacted  their  empowerment  level  and  which  types  of  income  generating activities have more positive impact on women.   The  study  was  conducted  with  mixed  method  of  qualitative  and  quantitative  using  tools  such  as  household  survey,  key  informant  interview,  focus  group  discussion,  in - depth  interview and participatory observation. Rural  women  in  study  areas  were  engaged  in  farming,  livestock,  sewing,  vending,  onion  processing  and  casual  wage  labour.  The  effects  of  IGAs  appear  to  vary  acco rding  to  occupation and the degree to which the women are seen as bringing in significant income  on  their  own  (as  opposed  to  working  as  part  of  the  family,  or  bringing  in  very  small  amounts of income). It was found that at the individual level, women engag ing in farming,  livestock,   sewing,   vending   activities   have   positive   effects   in   terms   of   economic  independence,  access  to  financial  services,  mobility,  increased  decision  making,  freedom  in spending money and status at home. In spite of this, their voices a re seldom heard, and  they rarely participate in public discussions. In  contrast,  women's  engagement  in  dehydrated  onion  processing  has  brought  about  positive  changes  in  their  positions  at  individual  level  as  well  as  their  society  in  terms  of  economic  inde pendence,  enhanced  their  voice  and  recognition,  personal  hygiene.  This  is  due  to  non - farm  employment  and  trainings  implemented  by  NGOs  and  as  a  consequence  their relative substantial income they contribute.  On  the  other  hand,  for  wage  labourers ,  the  economic  impact  of  income  generating  activities  seems  poor  and  as  a  consequence  their  participation  and  empowerment  is  very  low. Wage labourers were poorest of the poor. This is due to lack of non - farm employment  opportunities, livelihood skills and  their low paid work.  In all cases, NGOs might be able  to act as mediators in empowering women by forming a group and assisting in the group{u2019}s  sustainability in the long run.  0aRural womenzMyanmarzMagway1 aDoneys, Philippe,eChairperson1 aKusakabe, Kyoko,eExamination Committee1 aEbbers, Theo, eExamination committee1 aDoane, Donna L., eExamination committee2 aAIT Fellowship Child Dream Foundation Partial Scholarship, eScholarship donor2 aAsian Institute of Technology.tThesis ;vno. GD-12-11  3Full-Textuhttp://203.159.5.9/ait-thesis/detail.php?q=B02933