Women workers, meet social economy based on reciprocity and solidarity

 

 

On the past November 18, we at the KWWA held a workshop entitled ‘Women workers, meet social economy based on reciprocity and solidarity’ in its underground training center.

 

Through her presentation, Lim Youn Ok introduced our social public job projects and social economic activities that we at the KWWA have practiced to tackle women’s unemployment and poverty issues increasing under the strong wind of neo-liberalism for 10 years from the Korean economic crisis in 1989 up to the current economic crisis. Our social economic activities include social enterprises, community coin movement, and credit union activities. The social economy is generally defined as ‘social economic activities carried out not by companies or nations but by the 3^rd sector such as nongovernmental organizations or foundations to realize the social purpose for benefiting communities’.

 

We searched for development methods as well as found what significances the social economy movement gave to the lives and work of women workers and what changes were made, through in-depth interviews with the total number of 32 women workers. The research outcomes showed how independently they have led their lives and solved their problems in terms of jobs, consumption and financial issues, based on the principles of sharing, cooperation, reciprocity and solidarity in their communities rather than relying on assistance by the government and market.

 

Next, case studies of the National Cooperative of House Managers (NCHM), Credit Union and Exchange of Hope carried out by the KWWA were presented.

 

After the workshop, we had a good time to share our experiences together and sell products which can be purchased in regional exchanging hope markets.