Brokerage, power and gender equity: How empowerment‐focused civil society organisations bolster women's influence in rural Indonesia

Abstract This article explores how empowerment‐focused Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) traverse scales and perform brokerage functions in helping rural women from marginal groups to connect influence powerholders Indonesia. It identifies three mechanisms activated by these CSOs: brokering groups' power bases through strengthening organising structures sources of knowledge/resources; spaces for women's on powerholders; networks with other authoritative actors build supporting coalitions. The also illustrates that contexts shape CSO interventions affect change: heavy, resource‐intensive ‘thick’ strategies were important deeply patriarchal contexts, whereas ‘thin’ had some effects places already more conducive improving gender equity.