Family Poultry (FP) as a Tool for Improving Gender Equity and Women’s Empowerment in Developing Countries: Evidence from Bangladesh

Abstract

The study assessed the integrated gender issues of family poultry production in developing countries with evidence in Bangladesh. The result draws attention to the widespread acknowledgment of the critical roles of gender in family poultry production system. The results show that women hold the maximum of the ownership (90.58%, p=0.0001) and responsible for the caring of (93.94%, p=0.0001) family poultry in Bangladesh, likewise other developing countries. The result reveals that women control over the decision-making for the selling of eggs and birds in Bangladesh. Women mostly (94.58%) hold the knowledge useful in the prevention and treatment of poultry illness; however, their role was found low (3.46%) in buying medicine and vaccines for poultry as compared to men (96.54%) in Bangladesh. The findings show that women were nearly two times more willing than men to adopt improved rearing technologies related to family poultry production. Both women and men are impacted indifferently by lower adoption of scientific poultry-keeping technologies. Women are independently facing more problems in access to knowledge, training, services, marketing systems, and financial services related to family poultry production. Despite having many limitations, it is clear that family poultry empowers women through asset accumulation and increasing their decision-making ability in the families and the broader community. The study also highlights the necessity of considering an engendered approach in policy and operational level for the family poultry development.