The Impact of Community Currency Systems on Gender Relations in Rural Northeast Thailand: A Hybrid Social Audit-Gender Analysis Approach

Abstract

This paper is an initial response to calls for an investigation of the impact of Community Currency Systems (CCSs) on gender relations in a developing country context. It thereby proposes the question of whether or not CCSs support existing gender relations or transform them. The proposition is that the unique characteristics of a localised currency may influence a variety of economic and social characteristics in rural communities to the point where they affect the wellbeing of men and women differently. In conclusion, the research offers three learning points; firstly, the use of Seyfang’s (1997) Social Audit Approach together with gender analysis frameworks do offer a viable means of generating primary information; secondly, the two study areas show that the most obvious effect of the CCS on gender relations regards the strengthening of women’s social capital; thirdly, that the implementation of a CCS can positively influence gender relations in other areas and should be more fully investigated.