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edit this page Boiling Point 8: Women's role in stove development - December 1985 [top] [end]Nairobi Conference: Are things Hottinq Up? July 1985 marked the end of the Womens Decade with a massive meeting in Nairobi. Women and appropriate technology were given a high profile through 'Tech and Tools' - an appropriate technology event for women. The slogan popularised at Tech and Tools was "If It's Not Appropriate For Women It's Not Appropriate". This certainly reflects the growing confidence of women's organisations within the AT movement. The focus of this issue of 'Boiling Point' is on women's involvement in all aspects of stove development women researching and developing stoves, making and selling, training, cooking, and writing about their experiences. The satirical cartoon depiction on the back cover is still largely applicable to the position of most women in stove programmes but on the other hand there are an encouraging number of projects where the needs and aspirations of women are becoming better understood and the skills and knowledge of women developed to enable their greater participation in all aspects of developing a better stove and kitchen environment.  . |
Relatively recently the advent of improved pottery and metal stoves highlighted the absence or restriction of women from the central and often lucrative role of stove production. In the rural potteries of many countries women have been traditionally involved in the production of household goods including, in some instances, cooking stoves. But even in theses cases, women are not necessarily guaranteed the central role in the production of a new stove. For example, in the Hambantota district of Sri Lanka there are more women potters than men and yet out of 34 potters re-trained as stove makers only six of these were women.  . |
The reason given was that women are less mobile (or rather cannot leave their responsibilities at home) in order to attend a, training course. The reason is deceptively 'logical'; the implications are considerable. The long term role and productive economic status women in potteries is alread threatened by the relentles substitution of plastic and chea metal utensils in the household the failure to include women potters in new stove projects on accelerates their decline in economic activity. Marilyn Carry book, 'Blacksmith, Baker, Roofin Sheet Maker' reinforces this viewpoint with many other cas references and equally illustrate how keen and able women are learn, given a fair opportunity.  . |
One of the interesting points demonstrated at Tech and Tools was the critical interaction between stoves, food processing and income generation. The potential beneficial links are becoming very apparent between improved stoves and energy intensive activities of income generation such as baking brewing, par-boiling, smoking drying and cooked food for sale. Developing special stoves to help provide or maintain incomes for women to use either individually or in groups may, in the long term benefit their environment too if a link is forged between fuelwood use and income-generation activities so that people can see the direct benefits of investing in tree planting schemes.
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Opinions expressed in contributory articles are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the ITDG Stoves Project.
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