Contesting Gender Narratives in Development Policies: Women and Conditional Cash Transfers in Argentina

TABBUSH, CONSTANZA

Women and International Development (WID) Working Papers Series

Michigan State University

Lugar: Michigan; Año: 2008 p. 1 - 35

0888-5354

This paper examines the gender narratives of conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs in Argentina and their implications for women’s livelihoods and agency. Donors and international institutions promote CCTs to women as the latest development trend in tackling extreme poverty. This paper contributes to feminist debates on the role CCTs ascribe to women, by offering a context-specific analysis of two CCT initiatives that illustrate distinct narratives about womanhood and social inclusion. Findings indicate that the altruistic maternalism fostered by Plan Jefas y Jefes re-enacts Peronist rhetorics of “dignified” workers while reproducing unequal gender norms by obscuring women’s triple burden and their unpaid reproductive work. Whereas, Plan Familias with its moral narratives of “good mothering” recognizes women’s care responsibilities, while essentializing sexual differences and discouraging women’s links with labor and community activism. The paper concludes by arguing that contextual analysis of maternalism serves as a way to disrupt trans-historical and essentialized visions of women present in development policies.