Kitty parties: a sisterhood of savings empowering Indian women
- From their humble beginnings as a way for displaced women to access credit, kitty parties have evolved into an integral part of their members’ lives
- Though often derided as antifeminist, psychologists say they can provide women with vital support networks and help them practise self-care
It’s a Monday morning in New Delhi and 10 well-dressed women gather around a table at one of the Indian capital’s best restaurants for lunch. They chat, laugh and enjoy themselves like at any other get-together – except one of them will come away from this gathering with quite a bit more money than the others, because this is a kitty party.
Despite the name, kitty parties have very little to do with cats. Rather, the term here refers to a pool of money for communal use made up of contributions from a group of people.
A kitty party then is essentially a rotating savings group, with each member contributing a predetermined sum every month to the common “kitty” or communal fund.
Each member takes turns to be the hostess, with the order often chosen at random, and whoever’s turn it is to host that time gets given the kitty money when the party’s over.
