The Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA)

This chapter discusses the history and structure of the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) and the ways that SEWA productively incorporates both feminist and Gandhian ethics. SEWA, like feminism, considers itself a vehicle for social change. Both promote positive change by recognizing the effects of gender and class oppression on daily life; embracing a community-based, democratic model of leadership; and working for social justice by changing exploitative social systems through collective action. SEWA's model is also influenced by Gandhi, who advocated for constructive economic and social programs that would lift people out of poverty and allow them to become self-reliant. Self-reliance (swadeshi) means not only formal independence but also cultural and moral autonomy. SEWA incorporates Gandhian ethics of nonviolence, self-reliance, and satyāgraha (nonviolent protest) into its structure and functioning. It is a contemporary example of an organization that aligns with Gandhi's idea of a constructive social program. This chapter explores the connection between women, poverty and violence and how feminist and Gandhian ethics have been used to improve the social, economic and personal conditions of women.