Gender, Poverty, & the Way Forward: the power of micro-transformations from the bottom-up
Jul 10, 2026
In this session held during Innovation Week 2026, Yvette Torres-Rahman, Co-founder and CFO of Business Fights Poverty, and Dr. Julia Corvalán of Poverty Stoplight, spoke with Emeritus Professor Naila Kabeer of the London School of Economics and Political Science.
The conversation explored how poverty and gender inequality are experienced in everyday life, why sustainable transformations must be built from the bottom up, and how small individual and collective changes can open new pathways toward a more equitable society. The session highlighted three central elements: listening to women as experts in their own lives, recognizing the multiple dimensions of poverty, and supporting gradual processes that strengthen their capacity to make decisions and take action.
INEQUALITIES EXPERIENCED EVERY DAY
Prof. Naila Kabeer explained that her interest in gender emerged from small experiences of inequality that, over time, revealed much deeper social structures.
During her doctoral research in rural communities in Bangladesh, she observed how poverty affected men and women differently. Even within households with limited resources, men could have greater access to food, clothing, mobility, and social recognition.
Traditional measurements focused on total household income did not reveal how resources were distributed or the deprivations experienced by women.
These deprivations included violence, the lack of appropriate clothing to appear in public, the inability to make decisions, and the shame of being unable to provide better conditions for their children.
“It is distress, and the way we suffer injustice, that distinguishes us.”
Poverty is not only the absence of income. It also includes both small and significant indignities that affect how a person presents herself to others, participates in her community, and perceives herself.
Prof. Kabeer therefore recommended not asking only what well-being means. Asking about distress or ill-being can make experiences of humiliation, exclusion, and unfair treatment visible when they might otherwise remain hidden.
LISTENING TO WOMEN’S PRIORITIES
Julia explained that the Poverty Stoplight begins by inviting each family to conduct its own assessment and recognize which aspects of its life are red (extreme poverty), yellow (poverty), or green (non-poverty).
When a woman reviews her results and selects her priorities, this creates space for honesty, reflection, and action.
A participant in the Philippines described the Poverty Stoplight as a tool that allowed her to be honest with herself. Another woman in Tunisia said that, after completing her assessment, she now knew what she had, what she wanted, and what she could try to change in her life.
The priorities selected do not always match the expectations of social programs. A woman experiencing income difficulties may decide to focus first on vaccinating her children, building a bathroom, or accessing dental care.
The approach must respect these decisions.
“These are changes that matter to them.”
Progress cannot be defined solely from the outside. Women understand their families’ needs, the constraints they face, and the order in which they can address each challenge.
CHANGE TAKES TIME
Prof. Kabeer noted that social norms do not change through a single training session.
Ideas about gender, marriage, work, and authority are formed from childhood and reinforced by families, communities, and institutions. Transforming them requires support, practice, and time.
She used the metaphor of a path through a forest. At first, everyone follows the familiar route. One person decides to open a different trail and moves forward with difficulty. Then another person follows. Over time, a new path emerges, and people have more than one option.
Micro-transformations work in a similar way. A woman begins participating in a meeting, earning an income, reporting violence, or approaching a public authority. Others observe her experience and realize that they can do the same.
Prof. Kabeer warned that the word “transformation” can create unrealistic expectations. In many cases, it is preferable to speak of incremental changes that, when accumulated over several years, can produce profound results.
FROM PERSONAL CHANGE TO COLLECTIVE ACTION
Julia shared the experience of an Indigenous community where, after working on indicators related to domestic violence and participation in decision-making, women began reporting abuse to the local police.
The change did not occur because someone told them what to do. The women discovered that a new option existed and decided to use it.
In another community, several families identified shared difficulties related to access to water and roads. The women organized a neighborhood committee and, after two years of advocacy, succeeded in building 200 meters of road with support from the community, public authorities, and a local company.
The inauguration of that short section of road represented a significant transformation. The women had moved from recognizing a need to organizing, negotiating, and mobilizing resources.
Support was important, but the decision, effort, and solution came from the community itself.
FEELING DISCOVERED
Another example involved a woman who initially refused to participate in a cake-making course because she did not believe she had the time or ability to do so.
Her Poverty Stoplight mentor continued inviting her. The woman eventually participated in six courses, began selling cakes, and received orders through WhatsApp, including orders from people in other countries for relatives living in her community.
When describing her experience, she said:
“My mentor discovered me.”
She did not say that the mentor helped her or saw her, but that she discovered her. For the first time, she felt that someone had recognized a capability that she herself had not yet identified.
This story shows that support is not about providing solutions, but about helping people recognize their own resources and possibilities.
EMPOWERMENT WITHOUT PREDETERMINED MODELS
Prof. Kabeer warned that empowerment programs can create risks when they impose an individualistic or external vision of how a woman should behave.
In some contexts, promoting abrupt changes may increase resistance from men or even provoke violence. Interventions must understand family relationships and move at a pace that does not expose women to greater risk.
Empowerment does not always mean absolute independence or individual control over every resource. Families function through relationships, negotiations, and shared responsibilities.
A woman may initially give her income to her husband to preserve certain appearances, even though both understand that her position within the household is changing. Over time, that negotiation may evolve.
What matters is that the woman progressively expands her capacity to make decisions, participate in public life, and act on her priorities.
Prof. Kabeer recommended abandoning predetermined models and understanding empowerment as a process whose final outcome cannot always be anticipated.
THE STRENGTH OF GROUPS
Collective participation can reduce risks and strengthen confidence.
When women share their results, they discover that they are not the only ones facing particular difficulties. They also recognize that some possess capabilities or green (non-poverty) indicators that can help others.
Prof. Kabeer explained that organized women can follow a two-track strategy:
1) They act on problems affecting the entire community, such as the absence of teachers, forest exploitation, or a lack of services.
2) By demonstrating their contribution to collective well-being, they gain legitimacy to challenge inequalities within their own families and communities.
The ability to give is also an expression of empowerment. For many women, improvement does not mean only no longer receiving help, but also being able to care for, collaborate with, and contribute to others.
THE ROLE OF BUSINESSES
The participants agreed that businesses must be part of the solution.
The private sector can listen directly to workers, families, and communities to understand their needs and design accessible products or services.
Poverty Stoplight data can help identify opportunities, establish partnerships, and develop solutions suited to specific segments of the population.
However, the purpose should not be limited to increasing sales. Prof. Kabeer noted that conscious business activity is needed, capable of generating profits while also contributing to the well-being of people and the environment.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
• How can women achieve sustainable financial independence?
Prof. Kabeer responded that there is no single valid pathway. Access to income, assets, training, and mentoring may be important, but the way these resources are managed depends on the family and social context.
Programs should expand women’s options and allow them to decide how much they wish to negotiate, share, or control. Imposing an external model of independence may be counterproductive or increase risks.
Transformation begins when a woman understands that other possibilities exist, even when she cannot yet reach them. Prof. Kabeer recalled a participant who said at the end of a program that she remained on the same step of the ladder, but now knew that a ladder existed.
• Which indicators can measure empowerment beyond income?
Although this question was addressed throughout the conversation, the participants identified several key signs:
• The ability to establish priorities.
• Participation in family decisions.
• Freedom to move and form relationships.
• Confidence to speak with public authorities.
• The ability to organize with others.
• Freedom from violence.
• Opportunities to learn, work, and provide care.
•Recognition of one’s own resources.
• The ability to help others.
Income is important, but it does not by itself reflect voice, dignity, safety, or freedom of choice.
• Which assumption should people working in development abandon?
Prof. Kabeer said they should abandon the savior complex. People experiencing poverty do not need someone else to make decisions for them. They need opportunities, resources, and conditions that allow them to use their own knowledge and capabilities.
Julia added that women and communities must be invited into the spaces where decisions are made. They should not be treated only as beneficiaries or sources of data, but as participants with valuable experience and knowledge.
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You can learn more about the upcoming Cerrito Forum 2026, the annual international global development event that brings together global stakeholders committed to the elimination of poverty from October 12th - 16th by visiting cerrito.com.py.
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