Thirteenth International Conference on Interdisciplinary Social Sciences

Abstract

Although the governments of third-world countries have promoted programs aimed at helping countrywomen to overcome their poverty and subordinate situation, there are no conclusive studies regarding the effects of these programs on the women’s lives. This research explores whether participants in these programs develop motivations and have access to resources that increase their chance of changing the unfair conditions which they face in their personal, family, and community lives. Based on constructive grounded theory, the study was performed with twenty-seven users of the Programa de Formación y Capacitación para Mujeres Campesinas (Education and Training Program for the Countrywomen) of southern Chile. The findings show a motivational development process that, while conditioned by available resources, guides women towards the search for personal, family, and social autonomy.