Social Capital has been defined by Robert Putman as the working product of interpersonal networks, contact, knowledge and related human resources. Taken together, these are valuable assets that individuals and groups (communities) can use to address a wide range of needs and interests, acting as a counterweight to the negative effects of globalization, unemployment, crime, substance abuse, uneven access to new information, resources, etc.

These collective assets are often found among women (and other socially excluded groups) - often as a result of the solidarity and a shared identity brought about by exploitation. Social capital among women varies from small initiatives within communities to address daily life challenges and threats of women to global mass movements to advance women's rights and leadership.

In Southern Africa, saving groups provide a good example of Social Capital among women. Comprised mainly of poor women, such groups save and lend small amounts of money on a daily basis, thereby strengthening trust, solidarity, and collective identity. In many communities, women's groups are able to develop solidarity networks that transcend ethnicity, race, sex, gender and economic survival.

Governments at all levels increasingly recognize the positive role played by social capital, using planning and budgeting instruments to open up decision-making and to include marginalized sections of society, i.e. women, etc. thus rendering communities, organisations, institutions, etc more inclusive. Government has traditionally treated organized action as a threat to the state, yet today they are increasingly keen on popular participation (the participation of women) as a cause of growing peace and reconciliation in the communities.

Gender Divisions
Social divisions of gender, age, and class are closely related to the unequal distribution of civic resources, including the distribution of time, money, knowledge, and skills, which facilitates participation in voluntary associations and social networks.

Pippa Norris and Ronald Inglehart asks the question; that if associational life carries certain benefits, is membership distributed equally across society, including among women as well as men, and they go on to identify two main types of inequality i.e. vertical segregation: differences in the density of associational membership held by men and women and horizontal segregation, contrasts in the type of associations involving men and women. We often find that more men are represented in certain types of networks (vertical) and men hold the positions of power and certain networks are considered 'networks on for women', i.e. soup kitchen's etc.

In many instances, men use their social networks to exclude. In those instance, men use their social capital to exclude women from their 'brotherhoods' and fraternities. This type of social capital brings power to different people and often this 'power' is used negatively, in terms of diversity and exclusivity. It prevents women to have access and decision-making power on issues that affect their lives directly.

Although there are still many challenges our communities face with regards to gender issues, i.e. women empowerment, gender equality and gender equity, social capital has a very positive role to play in encouraging the building of social networks that are diverse, inclusive and representative. Trust can be built and enhanced through creating platforms of trust for people of all backgrounds, particularly women to speak about social capital as they see it and know it best. (I.e. National Women's Day, 09 August is but one of those platforms).

Women's Empowerment and Micro-Finance in Cameroon
http://www.microfinancegateway.org/files/18143_Tackling_the_Down_Side_Cameroon_.pdf

Women's social networks and child survival in Mali
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=11824923&dopt=AbstractPlus

Women's Net
http://www.womensnet.org.za/

Women in research network, South Africa
http://www.nrf.ac.za/wir/

South African women
http://www.southafrica.info/women/