Sunflower: the Smiling Face of Lucre

Patriarchal Capitalist Relationships
and
Peasant Women’s s Lives
Azra Talat Sayeed
Roots for Equity
Rural Women’s s Liberation Workshop
Pesticide Action Network Asia and the Pacific
Penang, Malaysia
October 13-15, 15, 2005

What is Patriarchy
System
created by men for men
impacts women’s ‘public’ and
‘private’ life

Patriarchy
Allows:
domination and exploitation of
women by men
economically
politically
socially

Patriarchy
Controls women through:
♠
formal legal channels
♠ informal cultural & religious norms

Patriarchy
Exists at all levels
Family unit
Community
State

Tangible Tools
♦
Education
♦
Property
♦
Earnings

Intangible Tools
Honor/Dishonor
norms: voice control,
body and movement control,
dress control,
food intake & time control,
name

Patriarchy and Feudalism
Women
♣
♣
♣
♣
♣
participate in economic activity
work not acknowledged
are not paid for work
wages kept by male head of
the household
work at home not considered
productive

Manifestations
Economic
Political
Social
lack of financial independence
wages and property totally controlled by male head
skills unacknowledged
not allowed decision making
no public sphere
no education
no or controlled mobility
identity thru male family members
‘good women’ & ‘bad women’
feudal lord: physical and sexual violence
Home: all forms of abuse

Patriarchy and Capitalism
♣
♣
♣
♣
♣
♣
Rights highlighted
Economic earners
Paid less than men
Given less skilled jobs
Household work not shared
Commodification of women’s
body

Manifestations
Economic
financial independence possible
lesser control on wages and property
paid less than men
slotted in unskilled/semi-skilled jobs
“Domestic sphere” jobs
Garment industry
Domestic servants
more ‘dextrous
work’
sex workers, tourism,
entertainment

Political
greater space for decision making in:
public sphere: can vote but class
bifurcation in women representation
Social
private sphere: education, marriage,
divorce
public sphere: work burden increased
(household work not shared)
mobility increased
increase in physical and sexual violence

Patriarchy and Capitalism
Example
State and Family

John Block,
Reagan’s s Secretary of Agriculture (1980):
“Food is a weapon … to tie
countries to us. That way they’ll be
far more reluctant to upset us”

• George W. Bush
• US President (2002):
• “We want to be selling our beef
and our corn and our beans to people
around the world who need to eat.
My administration is working hard to
open up markets.”

♦ Trade Liberalization
Increase Cash Crop Production
Less Food Crop Production
Decrease Import Taxes
Flooding of agricultural products
from
foreign markets

Impact: Pakistan Seed Sector
Federal Seed Certification and
Registration Department:
“This policy has encouraged the
development of the private sector and
several companies have been given
permission to produce and market seed in
the country. The free market economic
policy adopted by the government
promotes privatization.”

An Impact of Trade Liberalization in
Pakistan
• Government’s s priority to decrease edible
oil imports
• increase sunflower production
• Sunflower seed domination: Syngenta, ICI,
Monsanto, Dupont

Women landless
Women landless
100.0%
51 Households
Land Ownership
Land owner ship (1- 4 acres)
7.8%
Land owner ship (16 - 21 acres) 3.9%
Landless 88.2%

Of all peasant men 84%
Sunflower Labor
All Labor
85%
Of all peasant women
86%

Impacts on Peasant Women
♦
Decreased Livelihood
●
●
Seed Drill
Farm labor: Rs 300/acre
(11 acre takes 2 days, all family members, average
earning Rs 25/person)

Physical Impacts
• Thorny hardy stalk
• Muscular pain (neck,
arms and shoulder)
• Rash, Itching
• Abrasions

Sharecroppers not planted SF
Sharecroppers not planted SF
11.0%
Sunflower: Impacts on
Sharecropper Status
Sharecroppers on Sunflower
42.3%
Sharecroppers on Rice n/o SF
46.7%

Migration
In Search of
♦
Food Crops
♦
Livelihood

Impacts on Women of Migration
• Create temporary shelter
• Travel with children
• Carry utensils
• Loans taken for travel

Food Grain Earnings
Qty of Food
Crop Earned
(Maund)
HH
Percent
Wheat
3-5 12.1
7-9 12.1
11-12
12 27.3
15-18
18 27.3
20 9.2
28 3.0
35 3.0
Rice 10 3.0
Total 100.0

Collaborations
• “A A farmer gathering was organized …with the
collaboration of Pakistan Oil Seed Development Board
(POBD)…in Faisalabad…. . Regional Manager, POBD
…briefed the farmers about sunflower production
technologies. Deputy District Officer, Agri Extension
T.T.Singh, …briefed the farmers about high yielding
hybrid varieties of sunflower and assured marketing of
sunflower to different oil mills. He informed th minimum
price for sunflower will be Rs 630 per 40kg. A
representative of ICI company assured to provide hybrid
seed of sunflower at reduced price.”

Patriarchal Capitalist Mindset
♠
Import Bill
♠
Edible Oil
♠ Women peasants livelihood and food
security due to Sunflower production