A family that works together can overcome poverty

Household Methodologies (HHMs) enable families to transform the way they think, interact and operate. As a result, resources, benefits and workloads are shared more equitably and the overall well-being of the household and its members is strengthened.

As the Lead Technical Specialist of the IFAD Gender Team, Clare Bishop-Sambrook explained "IFAD has been developing  Household Methodologies (HHMs) for several years as an effective mechanism for promoting gender equality and social inclusion. HHMs enable household members to identify and address the underlying causes of low productivity, which are often routed in gender inequalities and support positive behaviour change at the household level."

IFAD believes that investing in rural people in developing countries is the most effective way of tackling poverty. HHMs are a useful tool in this respect. Given that they work at the household level, where each member has a stake in working together to improve livelihoods, HHMs promote the economic and social empowerment of the entire family.

HHMs are based on the understanding that very often, women and men in the same household do not equally share the burden of responsibilities for what is produced and consumed. Typically, women tend to bear the greater burden of domestic chores and care-giving, and engage in productive work, but rarely have an equal share of the benefits, nor much of a voice in decision-making.

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Source & Copyright: IFAD