The Role of Solidarity in Women’s Empowerment: Narratives from Northeast Brazil

We examine how social and solidarity economy organizations (SSEOs) generate value for female participants and their community. Our theoretical framework pairs a social utility framework with the capability approach, integrating the perspective of feminist economists to capture value of various types...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inVoluntas (Manchester, England) Vol. 34; no. 5; pp. 911 - 921
Main Authors Cheng, Katherine R., Silva Junior, Jeová Torres
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York Springer US 01.10.2023
Springer Nature B.V
Springer Verlag
Subjects
Ability
Aspiration
Business administration
Citizenship
Community development banks
Economic activity
Economic development
Employment
Empowerment
Female roles
Feminism
Frame analysis
Governance
Humanities and Social Sciences
Identity
Low income groups
Mothers
Political Science
Research Papers
Social cohesion
Social exclusion
Social interaction
Social Policy
Social Sciences
Sustainable development
Value
Women
Workers
Feminist economics
Capability approach
Women’s empowerment
Social and solidarity economy
Social utility
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Summary:We examine how social and solidarity economy organizations (SSEOs) generate value for female participants and their community. Our theoretical framework pairs a social utility framework with the capability approach, integrating the perspective of feminist economists to capture value of various types. SSEOs can adopt dimensions of social utility in their activities, including solidarity, identity, sustainable economic development, citizenship, and self-governance. Our study connects these dimensions with value, framed by the capability approach. Findings rely on interviews with participants of Projeto ELAS, a program that promotes socio-productive inclusion of low-income mothers. Participants strengthened their ability to aspire, engage with their community, persevere, feel self-efficacious, and be financially sustained through a process of social interaction, positive identity, and financial growth. Our findings highlight the importance of relational processes within SSEOs and open avenues for research that uses a social utility framework to analyze social value and territorial impact by SSEOs.
ISSN:0957-8765
1573-7888
DOI:10.1007/s11266-022-00539-7