DOES MICROFINANCE EMPOWER RURAL WOMEN? ¬-A EMPIRICAL STUDY IN UDAIPUR DISTRICT, RAJASTHAN
Keywords:
Microfinance, Women empowerment, Self Help Groups, Non Governmental Organization, Ordinal variables, Holistic developmentAbstract
Microfinance has come to play a major role in many gender and development strategies because of its direct relationship to both poverty alleviation and to the empowerment of women. Women are the most crucial elements of the social fabric and are playing a pivotal role in the socio-economic scenario of Rajasthan. Microfinance programs like the SHGs in India have been promoted for their positive economic impact and the belief that they empower women.
Microfinance programs like the SHGs in India have been promoted for their positive economic impact and belief that they empower women. The survey was conducted on around 100 respondents from various SHGs of Udaipur district, Rajasthan and the analysis was done to study the empowerment of women through microfinance. The results strongly demonstrate that on an average, there is a significant increase in women empowerment of the Self Help Groups members. However, social backwardness, indebtedness and presence of other microcredit programs in the same or nearby villages have a significant positive influence on women’s participation in this program.
Downloads
References
Albee, A. (1994), “Support to women’s productive and income generating activities”, UNICEF evaluation and research working paper series no.1.
Mayox, L. (2000), “Microfinance and the empowerment of Women. A review of the key issues” Social finance unit working paper, 23. Geneva: ILO
Anjugam, M. and T. Alagumani. (2001), “Impact of micro finance through Self Help Groups: A case study”, Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 56(3): p.458.
Ana Marr (2002),‘Studying group dynamics: an alternative framework for the study of microfinance impacts on poverty reduction.’ Journal of International Development: p.511–534.
Akinsanmi, A. (2005), ‘Working under Constraint: Women, Poverty and Productivity 1.Women and Environments International 66/67: 17-18.
Armendáriz, Beatriz; and Morduch, Jonathan (2005), “ The Economics of Microfinance”, The MIT Press, Cambridge, USA.
Ranjula Bali Swaina and Fan Yang Wallentin (2009), ‘Does microfinance empower women evidence from Self-Help Groups in India.’ International Review of Applied Economics: vol.23, no.5, 541-556.
Khandker, S. R.; Hussain, S.; and Zahed, K. (1998). “Income and Employment Effects of Micro-credit Programmes: Village-level Evidence from Bangladesh”, Journal of Development Studies, Vol. 35, No. 2, pp. 96-124.
Pitt, Mark M.; and Khandker, Shahidur R. (1998), “The Impact of Group-based Credit Programs on Poor Households in Bangladesh: Does the Gender of Participants Matter?”, Journal of Political Economy, Vol. 106, No. 5, pp. 958-96.
Gurumoorthy, T. R. (2000),“Self-Help Groups Empower Rural Women”, Kurukshetra, Vol. 48, No. 5, pp. 31-37.
Rutherford, Stuart (2000), “The Poor and their Money”, Oxford University Press, New Delhi.
Sarangi, Niranjan (2007), “Microfinance and the Rural Poor: Impact Assessment Based on Fieldwork in Madhya Pradesh, India”, Paper Presented in Conference on Sustainable Development & Livelihoods, Delhi School of Economics, Delhi, 6-8 February.
Sarkar, Debnarayan (2008), “Indian Microfinance: Lessons from Bangladesh”, Economic a
Sharma, Puspa Raj (2007), “Micro-finance and Women Empowerment”, The Journal of Nepalese Business Studies, Vol. 4, No. 1, pp. 16-27.
