The Faith-Based Promotion of Gender Equality: An Assessment of the World Relief Families for Life Program in Burundi Open Access
Hall, Maddison L. (Spring 2020)
Published
Abstract
Background: Gender is an important social determinant of health affecting people of all genders. In recent decades, development actors, including faith-based organizations, have given increased attention to gender and gender inequality. World Relief, a faith-based organization, began implementing the Families for Life (FFL) program in Burundi in 2014. FFL is a couples-based program designed to promote healthy relationship dynamics and gender equality using faith-based and secular messaging.
Methods: World Relief completed a survey of FFL program leaders and participants in Burundi in 2019 to assess measures of support for gender equality and healthy relationship dynamics. Data from this survey were used to produce between-group comparative analyses to assess leaders’ and participants’ support for gender equality using four metrices. Two sample T-Tests were used for comparisons by leader and participant status and by alcohol consumption, paired T-tests were used for comparisons by sex, and one-way analyses of variance were used for comparison by age and educational attainment. Additionally, qualitative thematic document analysis of the FFL program manual was completed to describe the religious, faith-based, and spiritual messaging used to promote gender equality.
Results: FFL leaders and participants exhibited moderate to high support for gender equitable norms and practices on the four measures of gender equality. There were no differences between leaders’ and participants’ responses on the measures. Males tended to have more support for gender equitable norms and joint decision-making. Leaders and participants who did not consume alcohol had higher support for gender equitable norms. There were no clear patterns relating to age or educational attainment. Analysis of the program manual revealed a mixture of religious and secular messaging to promote gender equality, with some religious messaging offering interpretations of scriptural texts more oriented with gender equality.
Conclusion: The cross-sectional nature of the survey data prevents conclusions about causation. However, the results appear to be promising for program implementation and provide program staff with evidence upon which to base program design, adaptations, and expansion. The qualitative analysis highlights the abilities of faith-based organizations to employ religious beliefs to encourage gender equality or healthy relationship dynamics and counter inequitable beliefs.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ………. 1
INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE ………. 1
PROBLEM STATEMENT ………. 3
PURPOSE STATEMENT ………. 5
RESEARCH QUESTIONS ………. 6
SPECIFIC AIMS ………. 6
SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT ………. 7
DEFINITION OF TERMS ………. 8
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ………. 9
PROMOTING AND MEASURING GENDER EQUALITY ………. 9
ENGAGING MEN AND BOYS IN GENDER EQUALITY ………. 9
COUPLES-BASED GENDER EQUALITY PROGRAMMING ………. 10
METRICS OF GENDER EQUALITY AND RELATIONSHIP DYNAMICS ………. 13
SUPPORT FOR GENDER EQUITABLE NORMS ………. 14
ACCEPTANCE OF VIOLENCE ………. 15
JOINT DECISION MAKING ………. 16
COUPLES’ COMMUNICATION ………. 18
RELIGION, GENDER, AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS ………. 20
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGION AND GENDER ………. 21
FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AS GLOBAL DEVELOPMENT ACTORS ………. 23
FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS AND GENDER EQUALITY PROGRAMMING ……… 26
FAITH-BASED CONTENT IN GENDER EQUALITY PROGRAMMING ………. 29
CONTEXTUAL OVERVIEW: IMPLEMENTING AGENCY, PROGRAM, AND LOCATION ……… 31
IMPLEMENTING AGENCY: WORLD RELIEF ………. 31
PROGRAM: FAMILIES FOR LIFE ………. 33
LOCATION: BURUNDI ………. 38
BURUNDI: GENDER AND RELIGION IN CONTEXT ………. 40
SUMMARY ………. 43
CHAPTER 3: METHODS ………. 45
QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS: WORLD RELIEF FAMILIES FOR LIFE SURVEY ………. 45
SURVEY DESIGN ………. 45
SAMPLING PROCEDURES ………. 46
DATA ANALYSIS ………. 51
SCOPE OF THE ANALYSIS ………. 54
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS: WORLD RELIEF FFL: A MARRIAGE TRAINING MANUAL FOR COUPLES, BURUNDI ………. 54
ANALYTIC APPROACH ………. 55
IRB CONSIDERATION ………. 57
CHAPTER 4: RESULTS ………. 58
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS OF FFL LEADERS AND PARTICIPANTS ………. 58
PERFORMANCE ON GENDER EQUALITY MEASURES: AIM 1 AND AIM 2 ………. 60
COMPARING PERFORMANCE ON GENDER EQUALITY MEASURES ACROSS DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS: AIM 3 ………. 64
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC: SEX ………. 64
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC: AGE ………. 65
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC: EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT ………. 68
DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC: ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION ………. 72
QUALITATIVE DESCRIPTION OF FFL SESSIONS: AIM 4 ………. 74
CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION ………. 84
PERFORMANCE ON GENDER EQUALITY MEASURES: AIMS 1 AND 2 ………. 84
THE INFLUENCE OF DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS: AIM 3 ………. 87
THE PRESENCE OF RELIGIOUS MESSAGING IN PROMOTING GENDER EQUALITY: AIM 4 ………. 91
LIMITATIONS AND STRENGTHS ………. 93
RECOMMENDATIONS ………. 95
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION ………. 95
SURVEY IMPLEMENTATION ………. 96
ACCEPTANCE OF RELIGIOUS MESSAGING IN CULTURAL CONTEXT ………. 97
CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS ………. 98
REFERENCES ………. 100
APPENDICES ………. 120
APPENDIX A. WORLD RELIEF FFL SURVEY INSTRUMENT ………. 120
APPENDIX B. FFL MANUAL GUIDING NARRATIVES ………. 127
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