Women Empowerment Through Microcredit: Step Towards Alleviating Feminization of Poverty

Abstract

Purpose - The study explores and evaluates the women's experiences with microcredit facility for the purpose of women empowerment. While there is a mutual understanding and consensus on closer nexus between women empowerment and microcredit, women are disempowered for a variety of reasons such as lacks of financial resources, being a member of patriarchy society, misinterpreted religious concepts about her role and position in the society, and cultural restraints. However, microcredit, globally promoted as a “miracle cure” for the financially weak, especially women who face so many problems accessing microcredit for a variety of reason, which have been discussed in detail in this study. Methodology/Sample - This is qualitative study with inductive approach, and interpretive philosophy which allow the existence of multiple subjective perspectives and construction of knowledge. Women who availed microcredit from microfinance institutions (MFIs) were selected for the research study. The data was congregated through in-depth interviews and stopped at saturation level. Through phenomenological analysis, women lived experiences were analyzed. Findings - The results indicate that microcredit strengthens women in all dimensions but plays more influential role when they are provided with autonomous access to microcredit, support from family, and facilities from MFIs. Needless to say that the multidimensional women's stability contributes in alleviating feminization of poverty and this is not a social issue but the global dilemma now days. Practical Implications - This research is significant for the microfinance practitioners to design policies for promoting women entrepreneurship and for MFIs to facilitate their contemporary women clients with trainings and efficient supervision.

Does the gender of the head of the household affect the labour market outcomes for females? An empirical analysis for Pakistan based on Labour Force Survey (LFS 2017-2018)

“…Nevertheless, even if households are headed by women in the form of de jure (by widows) and de facto (wives of migrants), they experience different challenges in terms of women's role in the labour market and everyday household activities (Rajkarnikar & Ramnarain, 2020). Pakistan is a lower-middle-income country with a high incidence of feminisation of poverty (Qazi et al, 2013) and strict gender norms, where female-headed households are mainly those where the husband has migrated, is disabled, or dead (Mannan, 2003). These constitute 14% of the household in Pakistan, whereas 86% of households are headed by males (Government of Pakistan, 2018).…”