Gender Dynamics: A Study of the Differing Experiences of Women in Formal and Informal Cooperatives

This study, co-designed and conducted by the ICRG and the Co-operative University of Kenya (CUK), examines and explains why more women join informal groups (Chamas) compared with SACCOs (formally organized cooperatives) and characterizes gender-specific bonding in the two types of social networks. It adopts a mixed-methods approach to answer the following four research questions: (1) What are the reasons more women join informal groups (Chamas) compared with SACCOs? (2) What are the perceived benefits of being in an informal group (Chama) compared with a SACCO? (3) What barriers do women face joining SACCOs? and (4) What are the characteristics of the social bonds among members in informal groups (Chamas) and in SACCOs?