Gender Issues in Cooperatives

Gender is an issue of natural system and natural phenomena are not a cause for either proud or assault. According to religious instructions, man's dignity or statue depends on how he is a approximate to God. As such, the main criterion is piety, rather than gender or any other factor. As is in Quran:" O, people, I created you from a man and a woman, and set you in different sects and tribes so that you may recognize each other; the most dignified of you, are the most pious of you with God. And He is All-knowing." The issue of gender and the related rights has been controversial since creation of man. This is true to the extent that men and women have changed during the history, their position in controlling the family or the society. After industrial revolution and the subsequent changes, however, women have shown a widespread presence in different socio-economic areas to create equal opportunities for women as compared to men, which is a development index for every society. Also, cooperative movement lays emphasis on values such as self-help, individual responsibility, democracy, equal rights, along with the principle "one member – one vote". This in an indication to equal position for men and women in the movement. In this article Anne-Brit Nippered from ILO, Points out the constraints of women in developing countries and the role that cooperatives can play in empowering them. This article is available in ILO’ s site under the title" Gender issues in cooperatives".