Principal Investigators: Kathleen Sexsmith, Leland Glenna
Project description: Saving for Change is an Oxfam international development project and methodology to facilitate basic financial services through small savings groups in which participants themselves dictate the norms, rules and procedures. The initiative reaches approximately 1 million people worldwide, most of whom are women. In this project, Drs Kathleen Sexsmith, Leland Glenna, Paige Castellanos, and Rural Sociology PhD student Maria Vivanco are working with Oxfam to evaluate whether and how Saving for Change helps promote active citizenship amongst its female members in El Salvador and Guatemala. Through interviews with Saving for Change program beneficiaries, program staff, and other stakeholders in these countries, we are assessing whether participation in Saving for Change contributes to several dimensions of active citizenship, including the transformation of patriarchal gender norms, improved access to resources for women, increased political voice, and progress towards greater gender equity in governmental institutions that engage with Saving for Change. Our results will help Oxfam to evaluate the program and determine how best to use the program to promote women's active citizenship.
