This article reports a three year study of Avon’s operations in South Africa, focusing on the impact of the system on the poor black women who work in it. The research concludes that the system offers an opportunity to earn a liveable income, as well as confidence and community respect. It compares and contrasts the Avon system with other entrepreneurship and microfinance studies.
Dolan, Catherine, Mary Johnstone-Louis, and Linda Scott (2012), “Shampoo, Saris, and Sim Cards: Seeking Entrepreneurial Futures at the Bottom of the Pyramid,” Gender and Development, 20:1, 33-47.
The impact of the CARE Bangladesh Rural Sales Programme on the gender empowerment of the women it employs is analyzed, based on 125 interviews, field observations, and hours of videography.
“Beyond Poverty: Social Justice in a Global Marketplace” — Journal of Public Policy and Marketing, 2011
Linda Scott and her co-authors argue for an overhaul of the Rawlsian social justice theory in order to gain a fresh perspective of distributive injustice around the world. The authors emphasize that the realities of poverty are much more complex than mere income insufficiency.
“Lipstick Evangelism: Avon trading circles and gender empowerment in South
Africa” — Gender and Development, July 1st, 2009
“Warring Images: Women and Fashion in World War II,” Advertising and Society Review, 2009
“Matriarchal Marketing: A Manifesto,” Journal of Strategic Marketing, 2006
“Market Feminism: The Case for a Paradigm Shift“, from Marketing and Feminism: Current Issues and Research, ed. Miriam Catterall, Pauline MacLaran, and Lorna Stevens. London: Routledge, 2000.
