Seeing Beyond the State: Grassroots Women's Perspectives on Corruption and Anti-Corruption

This 64-page report shares findings of a study to document grassroots women's perceptions and lived experiences of corruption in developing countries, as well as bring this experience to discourses regarding anti-corruption, gender equality, and women's empowerment. The study was commissioned by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and coordinated by the Huairou Commission, a global coalition of grassroots women's organisations. According to the report, grassroots women’s perceptions of corruption go beyond the widely accepted definition and are described in terms of specific misuses of power, including sexual exploitation, illegal actions, and physical abuse. Moreover, grassroots women believe in organising for empowerment to fight corruption through actions such as awareness raising and capacity building initiatives, generating an informed public debate, mobilising public action, and monitoring service delivery.

This study was intended to direct attention to the lack of research on the gendered impact of corruption on poor communities, provide some initial insights from grassroots women, and contribute to anti-corruption programming by prioritising and bringing to the forefront grassroots women’s voices. Surveys were administered and participants engaged in focus group discussions in order to share their experiences with each other and refine their responses. There were a total of 471 respondents: 392 women and 79 men. Grassroots organisations collected the data, in collaboration with NGO partners, without oversight from external agencies. This approach was utilised to help strengthen grassroots community members’ primary research skills while also creating a data bank that can be drawn on for future campaigns and activism.

The report outlines the following key findings:

• Finding 1: Grassroots women describe corruption in terms of specific misuses of power. Women defined corruption by using terms popular in anti-corruption discourse, but they also described the nuanced ways in which corruption affects them specifically – 29% of grassroots women respondents described corruption as an abuse of power. Other responses from grassroots women as to the main defining characteristics of corruption provided a gender-specific view of corruption, including poor or absent service delivery (5%) and sexual or physical abuse.
• Finding 2: Women's definitions of corruption vary by region: The way in which grassroots women described corruption was not consistent across regions. Grassroots women’s understanding of key elements of corruption therefore emerged as specific to their region in the world.
• Finding 3: Women view all public agencies as corrupt: The wide range of services and agencies listed demonstrates that women can and do experience corruption in their engagement with almost all public offices necessary for meeting their most basic needs. Some areas mentioned by women, such as health care, education, and water, affirm existing knowledge regarding corruption and its impact on the poor.
• Finding 4: Although there might be differences in where and how they experience bribery, it is a part of everyday life for both grassroots men and women: Almost two thirds of both female (63%) and male (62%) participants reported having been asked to pay a bribe. Women described bribery in terms of officials demanding bribes as well as citizens offering to pay a bribe or soliciting preferential treatment. Respondents thus viewed bribery as initiated by both those providing and receiving services.
• Finding 5: Bribery occurs not just in basic service delivery but in all areas of engagement with public agencies: Study findings support this claim. This study’s findings shed light on previously unexamined sites for bribery, as women described facing extortion in their dealings with the police and while securing the documentation needed to access basic services. Also mentioned were areas such as economic activity and land and property rights as well as participation in elections. To start a business, women often have to pay bribes to acquire licenses and procure a business loan.
• Finding 6: It is commonly held that women are disproportionately subject to corruption due to their primary role as caregivers and organisers of households. Women between the ages of 30 to 59 are much more likely to report having been asked for a bribe. Those years represent the peak time in which women will engage with healthcare systems and structures related to education, public utilities, and other services required to manage a family.
• Finding 7: Grassroots women perceive group-affiliated leaders to be more accountable: This study's findings indicate that women leaders from mobilised constituencies are perceived to be far more accountable in public office than female officials who are unaffiliated with a broader constituency. Approximately 83% of female respondents felt that organised women leaders provide leadership that is more responsive to grassroots communities and less subject to corruption.
• Finding 8: Organised women are empowered to fight corruption: Grassroots women are more empowered (as reported by 79% of respondents) to raise their voices against corruption if they belong to a grassroots organisation. This study finds that women are actively involved in planning and implementing a series of anti-corruption strategies, bringing to light grassroots women’s role as powerful agents of change in matters related to corruption and governance. Furthermore, women have been able to identify which strategies they have found to be successful.
• Finding 9: Women's anti-corruption initiatives are relevant to local and political contexts: Women have developed strategies that are not only workable, but are also contextually relevant. Strategies tend to vary based on geography and region. The largest variations in strategies hinge on the socio-political setting in which women's groups operate. The study examined the effect on women's strategies of i) their perception of an enabling environment in terms of a legislative framework and mechanisms to fight corruption (anti-corruption laws and funds, for example) and ii) where this perception did not exist. The study found a significant difference in strategies employed by women who perceived that their countries had an enabling environment (in terms of laws and mechanisms) compared with those that did not. Similarly, there was considerable variation in awareness amongst grassroots women on the existence of anti-corruption laws and funds in their country.
• Finding 10: Capacity building of women's groups and fighting corruption should go hand-in-hand: Although the survey’s findings indicate that women are adept at designing their own solutions to fight corruption, this does not mean that they do not require support. Quite to the contrary, they do need support and of various kinds. Women also perceive that their organisations need education and information regarding corruption, particularly legal and other expertise.

Two broad streams of responses were recommended:

• Educating and mobilising communities: Education, achieved through capacity building and awareness raising, as well as mobilisation are two essential ingredients for any successful social movement. To effectively fight corruption, an organisation has to have a shared sense of purpose and a political vision for the future, which is crucial for the process of mobilisation. A working knowledge of the public sector can help grassroots groups fight for the establishment of a pro-poor, anti-corruption legal framework. Even if and when such a framework is in place, grassroots groups have to continue to mobilise and disseminate information within their communities about the existence of anti-corruption laws and mechanisms.
• Anti-corruption campaigning and advocacy: Campaigning is a common strategy, whether it is raising awareness about the need for effective governmental anti-corruption laws and measures or sharing information about already existing laws. Advocacy too is a means of establishing support networks linking communities and agencies, both governmental and nongovernmental.