Thesis
Applying a gender transformative framework to understanding and addressing barriers to women’s socio-economic empowerment in beekeeping
Southern Cross University
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
2025
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25918/thesis.553
Appears in Recent Southern Cross PhD Theses
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Abstract
While beekeeping has been widely promoted as a mechanism for the socio-economic empowerment of women, there is limited empirical evidence supporting approaches to address gender inequalities and improve the outcomes of women's participation. The study applied a transformative framework, focusing on the concepts of Agency, Structures and Relations to critically examine gender equity in beekeeping development and training. The framework provides an overarching lens to understand the barriers to women's inclusion in beekeeping, as well as how gender relations and power dynamics shape women's participation in agricultural development programs and impact the effectiveness of beekeeping initiatives and the outcomes for women. This research reveals that women remain underrepresented as beneficiaries, researchers, trainers, and practitioners in beekeeping programs. Despite ongoing efforts to integrate gender-responsive policies, they continue to face significant barriers that hinder their involvement in beekeeping and beekeeping training. Perceptions of beekeeping as men's work and the low visibility of women across beekeeping value chains reinforce pervasive attitudes towards women's capacity to become beekeepers and benefit from their participation in beekeeping enterprises. As a result, the potential for beekeeping to contribute to women's socio-economic empowerment has not been fully realised. While this study found that beekeeping training can be essential in developing women's confidence and shaping family and community perceptions towards women, the links between agricultural training and transformative empowerment are underexplored, particularly in the Pacific context. The research highlights the need for more comprehensive and context-specific strategies, beyond economic indicators, to assess the impact of beekeeping programs. Furthermore, it calls for additional research to explore the application of feminist methodologies and empowerment dynamics in agriculture within Pacific communities. This research contributes to the broader discourse on gender equality in agriculture by providing a conceptual framework and practical recommendations for designing and implementing gender-transformative beekeeping development programs, ultimately fostering more inclusive, equitable and sustainable development outcomes.
Details
- Title
- Applying a gender transformative framework to understanding and addressing barriers to women’s socio-economic empowerment in beekeeping
- Creators
- Anneliese Austin
- Contributors
- Cooper Nat Schouten (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityHanabeth Luke (Supervisor) - Southern Cross UniversityDavid Lloyd (Supervisor) - Southern Cross University
- Awarding Institution
- Southern Cross University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Theses
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Southern Cross University
- Publisher
- Southern Cross University
- Number of pages
- 228
- Identifiers
- 991013353073202368
- Copyright
- © Anneliese Austin 2025
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering
- Resource Type
- Thesis