GENDER, DEMOCRATIC PRACTICE AND MEMBER CONTROL IN AGRICULTURAL PRIMARY CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN UGANDA
Edith I. Basirika
Abstract: This study sought to assess the interaction of gender, the socio-institutional environment and structural phenomena in influencing the extent of democratic practice, member control, patronage and receipt of benefits amongst the agricultural primary co-operative societies in Uganda. The goal was to highlight implications for creating a self-reliant sustainable development of primary co-operative societies from a socio-institutional and structural perspective. Findings of the study are drawn from 150 male and 150 female co-operators, 24 executive committee members and from secondary sources using both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection and analysis. The findings revealed that democratic practice, member control, and patronage were high amongst the primary societies. However, leadership positions (an aspect of democratic practice) and participation in decision making (an aspect of member control) were monopolized by members of higher social status in communities and primary societies, i.e., the elderly, wealthy, and male founder members. Implicitly, the management of primary societies was confined in the hands of a few members, which is contrary to the co-operative principles of collective participation of all members in the running of the affairs of their respective societies. This anomaly poses obstacles to creating a self-reliant sustainable development of primary societies that are responsible to the needs and aspiration of all members: for the younger members, women, poor farmers, and new entrants, whose concerns are not synonymous with those of the "elite" leadership and decision-making groups. Hence, they may not be incorporated in the societies' plans, programmes and activities. This is likely to affect members' feelings of ownership and responsibility to their respective societies, which could impact negatively on continuity, and sustainability of the primary societies.
Although the majority of members reported that their earnings had improved and that they received prompt payment for deliveries made, female members made fewer deliveries compared to males, due to the socio-institutional environment that limited their level of business transactions in their respective societies. It is, therefore, imperative that the structural phenomena that put leadership and decision-making into a monopoly of a few members and the socio-institutional factors that negatively impacted on women's level of business transactions be addressed through awakening members' consciousness to those phenomena and factors. It is equally important that members use the power of their general assemblies as the highest decision-making authorities in primary societies to pass by-laws that break up of the monopoly of leadership positions by a few "elite" members and enhance the access of all members to the societies' economic benefits and opportunities, especially loans.