‘Show the world to women and they can do it’: Southern Fair Trade Enterprises as agents of empowerment

Overview

This article draws on research with women handicraft producers in Bangladesh in order to analyse processes of empowerment. It explores the practices and social relationships embedded in the activities of four Southern Fair Trade Enterprises (SFTEs). Attention is drawn to the kinds of change which the women producers feel they are achieving and how such change was linked to Fair Trade employment. The research suggest that SFTEs have a significant role in encouraging additional advantages and opportunities which contribute to processes of empowerment, providing practical models for other socially responsible forms of employment.

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