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Conflicts Over Credit: Re-Evaluating the Empowerment Potential of Loans to Women in Rural Bangladesh
Abstract
This paper explores the reasons why recent evaluations of the empowerment potential of credit programs for rural women in Bangladesh have arrived at very conflicting conclusions. Although these evaluations use somewhat different methodologies and have been carried out at different points of time, the paper argues that the primary source of the conflict lies in the very different understandings of intrahousehold power relations which these studies draw on. It supports this argument through a comparative analysis with the findings of a participatory evaluation of a rather different credit program in Bangladesh in which the impact of loans was evaluated by women loanees themselves.
... The lives and livelihoods of char farmers and their households in the Ganges-Padma floodplain are regularly threatened by floods (Islam, 2012;Naz et al., 2018), undermining the substantial achievements made possible by the rural credit programs of various microfinance institutions (MFIs) (Mahmud et al., 2012;Roodman & Morduch, 2014). At the household level, char women compete for resources and engage in income-generating and expenditure-saving activities (Kabeer, 2001;Naz et al., 2018) such as obtaining loans for household farming and livestock activities to support their male partners in coping with setbacks caused by natural hazards. Therefore, the current study analyzes women's use of loans and the effect this has on their adaptive capacity in char farming households in the context of flooding, a common natural hazard in the area. ...
... Livestock (cow rearing, milk, and eggs), homestead cultivation, and paddy husking are areas where women have significant control over the production process, with the exception of marketing. But at one end of the five-point index of "managerial control" (Goetz & Gupta, 1996), women were described as having "no control" over loan use: these were women who either had no knowledge of how their loans were used or else had not provided any labor into the activities funded by the loan as concluded in other studies (Ali & Hatta, 2012;Kabeer, 2001;Murshid, 2018). ...
... The question of why the use of loan for adaptation is a gendered issue and how women's capacity to use credit for flood adaptation is determined within their household has been discussed at length in the literature (Agarwal, 1997;Bettis & Ferry, 2016;Kabeer, 2001;Shibata et al., 2020). ...
Recent research on gendered access to credit shows that while women borrowers bear the liability of rural credit programs, the proceeds are often directly invested by their male partners. This paper examines loan access and flood adaptation-related investment activities among char female borrowers. Primary data from a survey of female respondents in 129 households and qualitative data from 6 key informant interviews, 3 focus group discussions, and 18 in-depth interviews reveal that women have limited control over loan investment activities. Men's financial control undermines positive social externalities of women's adaptive capacity from loan use, and loans exacerbate households' gender-related tensions. Although loans foster women's capacity for collective action and flood adaptation, the nexus of gender and microcredit access between partners determines women's access to and use of credit. Further research should investigate how institutions can increase equitable access to loans to improve both men and women's adaptive capacity to natural hazards.
... On the dependent side of the model, Female Financial Autonomy (FFA) is assessed through a thoughtfully curated set of 12 items, drawing from a broad spectrum of research that spans gender and land rights by Agarwal (1994), to intrahousehold bargaining dynamics as explored by Doss (2013). The empowerment potential of loans to women, as critiqued by Kabeer (2001), alongside Malhotra et al. (2002) methodology for measuring women's empowerment, offer a robust foundation for evaluating FFA. Contributions from Stewart and Doss (2018) on gender and economic inequality provide further depth, ensuring a comprehensive assessment of FFA. ...
... By providing empirical evidence from India, this study adds to the body of knowledge by demonstrating how these global insights apply within the specific socioeconomic and cultural context of India. Moreover, the research underscores the critical role of digital financial services in empowering women, echoing the sentiments of Agarwal (1994) and Kabeer (2001) regarding the empowerment potential of financial access. Our findings also contribute to the discourse on intrahousehold bargaining and resource allocation (Doss, 2013;Malhotra et al., 2002), by providing quantitative evidence that DFS can be a significant lever for enhancing women's financial decision-making power within households. ...
Digital financial services play a crucial role in breaking down traditional barriers to financial access, promoting greater financial inclusion, and providing marginalized groups with equal access. These services offer innovative strategies designed to address the unique financial barriers and empower women to achieve financial access and independence. This study aims to examine the influence of the adoption of digital financial services on enhancing women’s financial independence. This study examines the responses of 426 women in North India using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) as its research approach. This study also employs the PLS Predict technique to evaluate the ability of the model to predict women’s financial autonomy. The findings demonstrate a significant and favourable relationship between the utilization of digital financial services and the improvement of women’s ability to make financial decisions. This study contributes to the discussion on promoting gender equality and economic empowerment, aligning with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5; showcasing the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) in advancing women’s economic and social empowerment. The results offer vital perspectives for policymakers, financial service providers, and development agencies, emphasizing the substantial influence of digital financial services in promoting gender parity and enhancing women’s socio-economic circumstances.
... World Bank's Empowerment Sourcebook, (Narayan 2002) defines empowerment as "the expansion of freedom of choice and action to shape one's life". Kabeer (2001) defines empowerment as "the expansion in people's ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them". Derived from this general understanding we can conceptualize empowerment for poverty-stricken groups as the growth of capabilities and economic resources so that they may take part in, influence, control and have power over institutions that affect their lives. ...
... Moreover, many borrowers were found to be using loans to purchase land rather than completing their projects; the positive effects of which would reveal strong impacts given more time. Positive results have also been found from Kabeer (2001), whose study illustrated the link between credit access and reduced violence experienced directly by several women. Orso, C. E., & Fabrizi, E. (2013) has shown that in Bangladesh microcredit interventions may actually contribute to changing gender beliefs and social attitudes. ...
INTRODUCTION Women frequently suffer various forms of social exclusions and remain more isolated from opportunities toward advancement than men. Hence, the goal of any development project is to improve the condition of people's lives. However, it has been observed that socially determined disparity, conventional power relations between men and women, and mostly, the dominant patriarchic nature of society repeatedly disregards women's rights and therefore affect their roles, quality and behavior within all levels of society. A UNESCO (2005, pg. 1) report claims that "if poverty is to be seen as a denial of human rights, it should be recognized that women amongst the poor, bear doubly from the denial of their human rights-first in terms of gender inequality, and second in terms of poverty". Thus, there remains serious concerns over whether development programs fail to promote the status of men and women in the same ways. Asian Development Perspectives ADP ORIGINAL ARTICLE Asian Development Perspectives 2018;9(1):35-50 pISSN 2635-4659, eISSN 2636-4683 https://doi. In a country like Bangladesh, poverty alleviation is one of the prime concerns of any development plan, where equality and considerable equity needs to be ensured. Women make up nearly half of the population of the country, but they, especially from the poverty-stricken groups, are more vulnerable in terms of denial of fundamental human rights. Microfinance, as a development program, primarily targets the poorer female clients. From a development perspective, it could be anticipated that provision of financial resources and effective utilization of those resources along with group-based activities can strengthen women's economic roles. In due course, it is also anticipated that it may empower women and reduce inequality. This paper attempts to assess the effectiveness of one special microcredit program (PRIME) in promoting women's life living in a poverty-stricken area of rural Bangladesh. Taking into consideration the existing complex and conflicting results from the other studies , a total of 54 items have been gathered to address ten empowerment indicators. In order to generate an aggregate index for women empowerment, a popular Item Response Theory (IRT) model namely, the Rasch test for dichotomous responses has been used, which was previously undertaken by a revealing study conducted by Pitt, Khandker and Cartwright (2006). Results remain steady with the view that there is a significant positive association between microcredit and women empowerment.
... For instance, Hashemi et al. (1996) measured women's empowerment based on indicators like mobility, ability to make significant purchases, and political and legal awareness. Mayoux (1998) emphasizes empowerment as a process of internal change and the capacity to make decisions, while Kabeer (2001) stresses the importance of increasing women's decision-making power within households to enhance their agency. ...
Women play a vital role in the fabric of society globally, and their active involvement in development programs is essential for fostering a healthy and progressive environment, particularly in developing nations like India. However, historically, women’s potential has been overlooked, leading to systemic neglect across various dimensions, including economic, socio-cultural, familial, legal, political, and psychological realms. As a result, women often lag behind men, facing deprivation and barriers to accessing resources and opportunities. Hence, the discussion on women’s empowerment through financial inclusion in India is crucial within the academic sphere. This paper seeks to investigate the impact of microfinance programs facilitated by Self-Help Groups (SHGs) in collaboration with banks on poverty alleviation in India since 2006. Specifically, it focuses on the economic empowerment of women over the past thirteen years and their pivotal role in mitigating poverty through microfinance initiatives in the country. Drawing on a range of secondary sources, including reputable data, the study underscores the positive correlation between increased participation in microfinance programs and women’s empowerment. Economic empowerment through microfinance not only enhances women’s decision-making power but also amplifies their influence in critical areas such as education, healthcare, and family welfare. Beyond individual empowerment, women’s active engagement in microfinance initiatives catalyses broader societal progress, thereby contributing significantly to the socioeconomic development of India.In conclusion, economic empowerment through microfinance emerges as a powerful mechanism for enhancing women’s agency and fostering societal advancement, ultimately paving the way for inclusive and sustainable development across India.
... Past studies on this aspect have reveal that default rate of women being very low in comparison to men is one of the primary reason why microfinance keeps women target in focus [15]. Another study reveals that microfinance can have immense social benefits for women [16]. Investigation by Mehmud [17] state that social empowerment of women can be achieved to a high degree of success with the help of micro finance institutions and it will also help to decide the income spending and important household decision making power which leads to women welfare. ...
Empowerment of women is a major issue in most developing countries of the world including India. Despite of many efforts undertaken to reduce poverty and inculcate development target has not been achieved yet and one thing where we are lacking is giving empowerment to women. Micro finance institutions have mushroomed and have become a vital tool both in poverty eradication and women empowerment. This study is based on relationship between micro finance institution and women empowerment in India. Qualitative method that involves primary data collection with the help of in-depth interview with women have been used to infer valuable results.
... Esto se debe a que los recursos pueden retar el estatus del hombre como cabeza del hogar. Kabeer (2001), argumenta que los resultados contradictorios encontrados en los diferentes estudios varían por tres razones: Primero, por la conceptualización de empoderamiento de cada autor. Segundo, porque todos los estudios se realizaron en diferentes periodos e incluso aunque los países continuaran siendo los mismos, las condiciones dentro de los hogares cambian en el tiempo. ...
Marital violence is understood as a phenomenon that belongs to the private sphere and public importance is diminished. However, the state is responsible for safeguarding the rights of its citizens and the government is responsible for creating public policies that protect them. At the international level, the empowerment of women is a recognized tool to counteract any type of violence. Unfortunately, the literature shows conflicting results on the true effect of empowerment on spousal violence experienced by women. This research seeks to provide elements on the subject, from previously carried out studies. The main argument is that each woman is at a different level of empowerment and each of these has a different effect on the chances of violence that she may face. The results show that the relationship between both variables is not linear, that is, empowerment does not cause a constant increase or decrease in violence, but rather a more complex relationship. It is hoped that the creation of knowledge about the relationship between empowerment and violence can contribute to the formulation of public policies and more appropriate programs that seek to combat marital violence.
... The entrepreneurship-as-emancipation perspective suggests that entrepreneurship can provide an effective avenue for socially disadvantaged individuals to remove the structural barriers they often face in the traditional labor market, empowering them both financially and psychologically (Bruton et al., 2013;Kabeer, 2001;Rindova, Barry & Ketchen, 2009;Sutter, Bruton & Chen, 2019). Research has documented the emancipatory benefits of entrepreneurship for socially disadvantaged individuals. ...
... De acuerdo con Townsend (1991, p. 28), los roles o funciones de género "describen quién hace qué, dónde y cuándo, permitiendo contestar a la pregunta: ¿cómo se reparten el trabajo, la autoridad y el ocio entre hombres y mujeres?". Estos cuestionamientos acerca de los roles de género conllevan, entonces, la multicitada lucha 9 Proyectos productivos como vía de empoderamiento de las mujeres indígenas… • J. Rodríguez T., V. Vázquez S. y M. C. Desde otro ángulo, el empoderamiento se reconoce como la habilidad de tomar decisiones de vida en ámbitos en los que anteriormente le había sido negado (Kabeer, 1999;Robinson, Díaz-Carrión y Cruz, 2019); además, como un proceso a través del cual las mujeres se hacen conscientes de su poder y del lugar que ocupan en escenarios públicos y privados en los que antes no eran visibilizadas ni podían opinar, mucho menos tomar decisiones (Rowlands, 1997;Mayoux, 2000;Kabeer, 2001;Malhotra, 2002;Tuñón, 2010, Robinson, Díaz-Carrión y Cruz, 2019. ...
The implementation of productive projects in indigenous communities in the Latin American context arises from the need to boost the economy, increase income, generate jobs and, specifically in the case of those focused on women, favor their visibility and participation within the community. This article identifies the triggering factors for female empowerment in a guatemalan indigenous community. At first the theoretical concepts are discussed; later, through the case study of San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, the origin of this process is explained from the modification of gender roles. Finally, based on the field work carried out, the factors that condition it and how it manifests itself in the collective sense are analyzed. It starts from the premise that the formation of women’s associations increases their participation in productive projects, contributes successfully to collective empowerment, favoring community development.
... On the contrary, other studies have found that providing microcredit to disadvantaged groups may also have negative effects, such as "mission drift" (Copestake, 2007), "excessive debt" (Misra, 2021), "borrower suicide" (Kar and Swain, 2018) and "discouragement to illiquid risky investment" (Field et al., 2013), limiting borrowers' earnings and exacerbating MdRP. Loans made to women are relinquished and typically controlled by their husbands (Kabeer, 2001). It has limited use due to a gender-specific division of labor, and it even led to marital tension, violence and harassment against women (Ganle et al., 2015, Heath, 2014, eventually disempowering women. ...
Purpose
This study explores whether targeted microcredit can effectively alleviate households’ multidimensional relative poverty (MdRP) in rural China in the new era following the poverty elimination campaign and discusses it from a gendered perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
This study applies a fixed-effects model, propensity score matching (PSM) and two-stage instrumental variable method to two-period panel data collected from 611 households in rural western China in 2018 and 2021 to explore the effects, mechanisms and heterogenous performance of targeted microcredit on households’ MdRP in the new era.
Findings
(i) Targeted microcredit can alleviate MdRP among rural households in the new era, mainly by reducing income and opportunity inequality. (ii) Targeted microcredit can promote women’s empowerment, mainly by enhancing their social participation, thereby helping alleviate households’ MdRP. The effect of the targeted microcredit on MdRP is more significant in medium-educated women households and non-left-behind women households. (iii) The MdRP alleviation effect is stronger in villages with a high degree of digitalization.
Research limitations/implications
Learn from the experience of targeted microcredit. Accurately identify poor groups and integrate loan design into financial health and women empowerment. Particularly, pay attention to less-educated and left-behind women households and strengthen coordination between targeted microcredit and digital village strategies.
Originality/value
This study clarifies the effect of targeted microcredit on women’s empowerment and households’ MdRP alleviation in the new era. It also explores its various effects on households with different female characteristics and regional digitalization levels, providing ideas for optimizing microcredit.
... Moreover, the acknowledgment of limited visibility suggests a need for more targeted and diverse communication strategies, considering the diverse social structures within the community. Literature substantiates this approach, emphasizing the cultural specificity of communication channels in empowerment interventions (Kabeer, 2011;Duflo, 2012). By understanding the community's existing dynamics, program designers can tailor their strategies to maximize impact and resonate with the local context, ensuring that awareness efforts are nuanced and culturally sensitive. ...
Age difference, Educational attainment, poverty allegation, social work, women empowerment Poverty remains a pressing global challenge, particularly in developing nations like Nigeria. Women, constituting a significant proportion of those affected, encounter distinct challenges due to gender disparities and limited access to resources. The study aims to assess women's empowerment programs, educational attainment, and age disparities concerning poverty alleviation efforts in Nigeria within the diverse landscape of the Central Senatorial District. The study employed a qualitative research design, the study engaged 24 participants, ensuring diversity across age groups, educational backgrounds, and geographical locations. Through semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions, each comprising six participants, the research collected rich and nuanced narratives. Thematic analysis served as the analytical lens, meticulously unraveling patterns and themes inherent in the participants' experiences. Three theories were used to support the study which includes empowerment theory, participatory model and social learning theory. Findings reveals that educational empowerment Impact," underscores how varying educational levels among women significantly influence their participation in and perceived benefits from empowerment initiatives. "Age Dynamics in Empowerment" sheds light on how age disparities shape women's interactions with these programs, indicating differing needs and outcomes across age groups. "Program Effectiveness and Accessibility" uncovers the WUKARI INTERNATIONAL STUDIES JOURNAL, VOL 7 (5), 2023 13 participant's effectiveness and accessibility of empowerment schemes "Societal and Cultural Influences" illuminates how societal norms and cultural factors intersect with program engagement, influencing women's experiences within these initiatives. The theme "Economic Opportunities and Livelihoods" underscores the significance of economic opportunities and livelihoods afforded by empowerment programs, impacting women's financial stability. Lastly, "Perceptions of Program Impact" captures the diverse perspectives regarding the actual impact of these programs on the lives of the women involved, showcasing varying degrees of positive and negative experiences and outcomes. The findings contribute substantively to the discourse on enhancing the effectiveness of empowerment programs, emphasizing the need for tailored interventions that consider educational backgrounds and age-specific needs to foster sustainable poverty reduction strategies among women.
... Various authors believe (Rastogi, 2021;Deshpande, 2007;Das, 2021;Kabeer, 2001), it has been found that the lack of financial knowledge among members hampers their ability to recognise and capitalise on growth opportunities. Individuals might face challenges in accessing government programmes, market connections, and entrepreneurial training programmes that necessitate financial literacy. ...
The intent of this study is to create a comprehensive model that can identify various factors and examine the impact of financial literacy on loan repayment intentions among members of SHGs in Himachal Pradesh. A conceptual model has been put forward and its validity has been confirmed. In addition to this, a total of 500 questionnaires were distributed, out of which 372 were considered usable. The stability of the proposed model and the testing of research hypotheses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The findings indicate that financial awareness and financial skills are strong predictors of loan repayment intention among SHG members. On the other hand, financial knowledge and financial skills have a relatively weak influence on loan repayment intentions. The results and observations from the interaction with responders indicate that there is a moderate level of importance placed on financial literacy among members of SHGs. An important factor in reducing the rate of outstanding loans in SHGs is the need for members to enhance their financial understanding.
... Section 6 concludes the paper. Kabeer (2001) de nes empowerment as "the expansion in people's ability to make strategic life choices in a context where this ability was previously denied to them". Malhotra et al. (2002) emphasize two elements important for understanding empowerment: process and agency. ...
Across developing countries, women play an important role both as producers of major food crops and in improving household nutrition. This research paper aims to assess the effect of improving women's empowerment on the nutritional status of children in rural Burkina Faso. Based on data from the country first Living Standards Measurement Survey, the paper uses variables such as income control, access to land, autonomy in production decisions, access to credit, and social group membership to compute a composite index of women’s empowerment. Accounting for potential endogeneity of empowerment, the study adopts a dual-estimation approach that, first, uses average empowerment by stratum and, second, applies an instrumental variable. The results show a low baseline level of women’s empowerment in rural areas, but an improvement in empowerment has a relatively high and positive correlation with children’s nutritional outcomes. The study suggests that improving women’s empowerment components will translate into significant gains in children’s nutritional outcomes in rural households.
JEL Classification: C26; D13; D16; I12, Q12
... Desde otro ángulo, el empoderamiento se reconoce como la habilidad de tomar decisiones de vida en ámbitos en los que anteriormente le había sido negado (Kabeer, 1999;Robinson, Díaz-Carrión y Cruz, 2019); además, como un proceso a través del cual las mujeres se hacen conscientes de su poder y del lugar que ocupan en escenarios públicos y privados en los que antes no eran visibilizadas ni podían opinar, mucho menos tomar decisiones (Rowlands, 1997;Mayoux, 2000;Kabeer, 2001;Malhotra, 2002;Tuñón, 2010, Robinson, Díaz-Carrión y Cruz, 2019. ...
La implementación de proyectos productivos en comunidades indígenas en el contexto latinoamericano surge ante la necesidad de impulsar la economía, aumentar ingresos, generar empleos y, específicamente en aquellos enfocados a las mujeres, favorecer la visibilidad y la participación de estas dentro de la comunidad. En el presente artículo se identifican los factores detonantes del empoderamiento femenino en una comunidad indígena guatemalteca. En un principio se discuten los conceptos teóricos; posteriormente, a través del estudio de caso de San Pedro La Laguna, Sololá, se explica el origen de este proceso a partir de la modificación de los roles de género. Por último, con base en el trabajo de campo realizado, se analizan los factores que lo condicionan y la manera en que se manifiesta en el sentido colectivo. Se parte de la premisa de que la conformación de asociaciones de mujeres incrementa la participación de estas en proyectos productivos y contribuye exitosamente al empoderamiento colectivo, lo cual favorece el desarrollo comunitario.
... These women also understand the importance of population control and other social development aspects. During 1997 and 2008, West Bengal's birth rate fell by 28%, while India's birth rate fell by 19.3% overall [14][15][16]. From 934 in the 2001 This survey, which covers Gram Panchayats in 23 states, is the largest on any aspect of Panchayat functioning. It includes a sample size of over 20,000 people, including elected women representatives (EWRs), elected male representatives (EMRs), former EWRs, official employees, and community members. ...
This article follows the evolution of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) from the Independence provisions in the 73rd constitutional amendment concerning reservations for women and other vulnerable sections. The goal of the 73rd constitutional amendment of 1993 is to examine and comprehend how the amendment affects women's empowerment. Indeed, women's reservations in PRIs have created enormous opportunities for their empowerment, especially for those who belong to the weakest segments of society. Despite significant progress, women's subordination to men is still a widespread occurrence. India is seeing a sharp increase in violence against women at a period of unparalleled economic prosperity, and the majority of girls are still not afforded equal opportunities in school. The Indian government designated 33% of the seats in Panchayats for women and granted constitutional status to village-level councils, or Panchayati Raj institutions, in one of the most significant moves towards the empowerment of women.
... Microfinance may promote access to financing for SMFBs. With a social mission of helping the poor, microfinance aims at providing financial services to disadvantaged social groups such as individuals and households with low income or lack of assets as well as small business owners, who are usually concentrated in rural areas and the informal sector, and they are excluded from formal financial institutions (Kabeer, 2001;Khandker, 2005;Mair et al., 2012). Most microfinance institutions nowadays are still operated by NGOs. ...
This article examines the impacts of traditional and digital finance on the financing of small and micro family businesses (SMFBs) in China. Based on a comprehensive sample of 8625 SMFBs from China Household Financial Survey (CHFS) data, our results from Tobit regressions showed that traditional finance did not reduce the financing constraints of SMFBs, while digital finance significantly promoted SMFBs’ access to credit. Further analyses revealed that additional credit from digital finance helped SMFBs increase their business scale and operational capability, but decreased their profitability due to the high loan cost associated with digital finance. Our findings imply on the one hand that government policies aiming at encouraging commercial banks to provide loans to small and micro enterprises in China have been producing very limited effects. On the other hand, digital finance is an effective micro-loan provider for SMFBs thanks to its strong ability in collecting and integrating individuals’ credit history data, although more measures are needed to take for turning this financing enhancement of SMFBs into their profit growth. These findings enrich the literature on family business by comparing the effectiveness of different financing sources for SMFBs in China. It provides important insights for future policy design on how to ease financial constraints in SMFBs and support the development of SMFBs.
Plain English Summary
This study investigated the effects of traditional finance and digital finance on the financing of SMFBs in China. Tobit regression results indicated that traditional finance did not alleviate the financing constraints experienced by SMFBs. Despite the use of advanced financial technologies and the encouragement from government policies, commercial banks are still unwilling to extend credit to SMFBs. Digital credit, by contrast, enhanced the financial accessibility for SMFBs. Moreover, increased financing from digital finance was positively associated with SMFBs’ business expansion and operational ability, although it did not enhance the profitability of SMFBs in a short run. To effectively promote the financing and business success for SMFBs, efforts from multiple agents need to be taken. The owners of SMFBS should involve more in-depth in business operation and take greater responsibility for enterprise management. Policymakers should consider commercial banks’ objectives and interests, when encouraging them to lend to small and micro businesses, and monitor the true interest rate of digital financial services.
... Les femmes sont également plus facilement influencées par la pression des pairs et les interventions des agents de crédit, ce qui en fait des paris plus fiables pour les banques inquiètes du remboursement (Goetz et Gupta, 1996 ;Rahman, 2001). C'est d'ailleurs ce problème lié au remboursement des (Goetz et Gupta, 1996 ;Kabeer, 2001 ;Mayoux, 2001 ;Rahman, 2001). Dès lors, si ce sont les hommes qui utilisent les prêts, les arguments précédents ne tiennent pas. ...
... Entrepreneurship in rural areas emerges as a vital element that can significantly influence the connection between microcredit and poverty alleviation, particularly when the use of microcredit alone proves to be limited and ineffective (Eesley, 2016;Goel and Karri, 2020). Therefore, it is crucial to explore whether entrepreneurship can contribute to the effective utilisation of microcredit, foster synergies, and improve poverty alleviation efforts, both in theory and practice (Kabeer, 2001;Khanam et al., 2018). ...
... Inicialmente, fue considerado como un indicador de la capacidad que posee una mujer para tomar decisiones sobre su vida y su cuerpo, principalmente en culturas y contextos en los que se les ha restringido dicha autoridad (Kabeer, 1999) En dicha definición, Kabeer (1999), hace especial énfasis en la distinción entre diferencias y desigualdad, haciendo referencia a la preferencia en las elecciones frente a la negación de la elección. Más tarde, el empoderamiento de la mujer fue descrito como la mejora de la agencia que involucra la habilidad de tomar decisiones estratégicas de vida, en condiciones dónde está habilidad ya se les ha negado (Kabeer, 2001). ...
Guatemala tiene una de las tasas de retraso en el crecimiento más altas del mundo, y la población indígena es la más afectada. La condición de la mujer es uno de los factores determinantes más importantes en la nutrición infantil porque de ella depende la calidad del cuidado de los niños, lo que afecta directamente a su estado nutricional. En consecuencia, la condición de la mujer es un factor importante en los esfuerzos nacionales por combatir la malnutrición. El presente estudio se propuso comprobar si existía una relación entre el empoderamiento de la mujer y el estado nutricional de los niños en Guatemala. Este estudio utilizó datos de la Encuesta Nacional de Salud Materno Infantil 2014-2015, con variables de respuesta basadas en los estándares de la Organización Mundial de la Salud. Se descubrió que el empoderamiento de la mujer estaba positivamente relacionado con el estado nutricional infantil, mientras que la pertenencia étnica estaba negativamente relacionada. En consecuencia, la condición de la mujer es un componente importante en la lucha nacional contra la malnutrición, pero debe abordarse y diferenciarse en función del contexto cultural.
... This was in part due to mobility restrictions imposed on women through social norms, such as the belief that only poor women leave the home to work. Previous studies have also found that women face mobility restrictions from social norms (Agarwal, 2010(Agarwal, , 2018Kabeer, 2001;Kabeer, 2017;Kabeer et al., 2019;Senapati & Ojha, 2019). For example, Kabeer et al. (2019) found that men benefitted more than women from SHGs' expanded financial access and livelihood interventions due to men's greater mobility and access to resources. ...
To alleviate impacts of novel coronavirus lockdowns on food security and agri-food value chains, governments implemented various policy responses, yet there is limited evidence as to their effectiveness to build resilience in food systems and improve food security. One of these programs was implemented by self-help groups (SHGs) in Odisha, India, linking fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) producers to consumers. This study integrates the concept of resilience into the six-dimensional food security framework (food availability, access, utilization, and stability, agency, and sustainability) and applies the framework to examine whether a FFV procurement program affected all six dimensions of food security and helped build resilience in food systems. Based on qualitative data from semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions, the results show that by enabling SHGs to fulfill the role of value chain actors prohibited from operating during the lockdown, the program had positive effects on availability, accessibility, utilization, and stability, with mixed effects on agency and sustainability. Applying the six-dimensional food security framework allowed us to show that despite some tradeoffs both across and within the dimensions for various actors, overall the program was able to build more resilient food systems. Activating preexisting organizations to reestablish fractured value chains can provide a model to replicate in times of crisis, such as pandemics and extreme climate events, when both rural and urban value chain actors can operate only at limited capacity and the public sector is overwhelmed. To accelerate the transformation of food systems towards healthier diets and greater resilience to shocks and crises, we recommend strengthening existing and establishing new organizations to help respond to crises and future shocks. A multifaceted approach will help ensure that the most vulnerable will not be left behind.
... Through these repeated interactions, individuals have opportunities for social 9 Consequences of women's participation in community groups are often positive based on some conditions. Kabeer (2001) notes that women are found to be more compelled to participate in new social and economic activities outside of their home with the support of the family as long as their position in the existing division of labor in the productive and reproductive spheres is not affected. comparison and also new role models, expanded worldviews and increased aspirations in general. ...
This study examines the influence of experiences in micro level community-based institutions on gender and family related attitudes of individuals in non-industrialized settings, using the context of rural Nepal. The theoretical framework of the family mode of social organization is used to examine how the new experience of participation in community groups influences changes in gender and family related attitudes among men and women. Analysis of a unique combination of longitudinal survey data at the individual and household surveys, collected in western Chitwan in Nepal, in 1996 and 2008, is used for the study. The study examines a set of four attitudes - the timing of marriage for girls, re-marriage of young widows, the role expectations of daughters-in-law, and the role of men in household decision-making – to represent a range of attitudes that represent gendered relations. The results show evidence of strong, statistically significant, positive and independent influence of individuals’ experiences in community groups the four gender and family related attitudes when their individual characteristics and experiences, as well as their previous attitudes were taken into account. The study provides strong evidence for the multiplicity of experiences that potentially influence gendered attitudes, in societies that are rapidly changing and where men and women have increasing opportunities to participate in social and economic activities outside of the realm and authority of the family. Thus, this study attempts to address a gap in the current understanding on changes in gender and family related attitudes in non-industrialized countries where there is a low prevalence of individual factors known to have been influential in changing attitudes in western countries. It provides important information about what changes are taking place in selected gender related attitudes in such a context, and examines local, contextual non-family experiences that potentially influences changes in gender roles and family related attitudes.
... Savings provide potential savings by having access to lump amounts of funds. For business opportunities, such huge amounts of money may be used (Kabeer, 2001). ...
This research was done on the Tewlederie district of the Amhara regional state for analyses to be carried out and access to information was chosen because of its potential and access to socioeconomic infrastructure. The gap identified from other studies is saving cultural differences in different rural areas of Amhara, which are directly reflected in saving practices. This research has been critical in linking saving activities and issues of income diversification to enhance the community's socioeconomic status. The research findings have confirmed that households' clients, knowledge of the available source of funding, technical knowledge of farming, and futuristic view of life, display money-saving and income diversification improvement with these indicators of outsourced farmland is insourced and the sourced live stokes are outsourced by purchasing their own.
... Micro-saving enhances rural women's productivity [23] as saving is one of the microfinance services that has long-lasting effects on women [24]. According to Bernard et al. [25], saving positively impacts women's microenterprises. Therefore, it enhances the income from microenterprises, automatically boosting women's employment. ...
This study investigates the role of microfinance institutions (MFIs), with a focus on the BRAC Branch in Iringa Municipality, Tanzania, in enhancing the socio-economic empowerment of women. Using a non-experimental cross-sectional research design, primary data was collected from 66 respondents, complemented by interviews with key informants from the BRAC Institution. The research employed systematic simple random and probability sampling techniques, utilizing questionnaires and interviews as research tools, with data analysis conducted using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study aimed to assess the impact of MFIs on women's entrepreneurship skills, examine their influence on income generation, and evaluate their role in enhancing social respect among women. MFIs, particularly the BRAC Branch, have played a pivotal role in improving the entrepreneurship skills of women borrowers. Access to resources, capital, and training has empowered women to develop and enhance their entrepreneurial capabilities. MFIs have significantly contributed to the income generation of women. By providing accessible financial services tailored to their needs, women have been able to invest in and expand their businesses, resulting in sustainable income and improved financial well-being. The study underscores the instrumental role of MFIs in enhancing social respect for women. As women become financially independent through active participation in economic activities, they gain recognition and respect within their communities. This has led to increased confidence and challenges to traditional gender norms. This research highlights the substantial strides made by microfinance institutions, particularly the BRAC Branch in Iringa Municipality, in empowering women socio-economically. The positive impacts on women's entrepreneurship skills, income generation, and social respect are evident. To further strengthen this contribution, collaborative efforts involving the government and stakeholders are recommended. Extending loan repayment periods, increasing maximum loan amounts, and providing accessible collateral options are crucial steps toward ensuring continued empowerment. These findings underscore the critical role of MFIs in advancing gender equality and socio-economic development in Tanzania.
... The capability approach emphasizes "human freedom," which means the effective opportunities available to individuals to improve their well-being. The capability theory of Sen (1985) and Nussbaum (2011) is used in the empowerment literature to deal with increasing women's choices and opportunities to empower themselves (Kabeer, 2001). ...
Abstract
Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of Islamic finance on women empowerment in
Africa between the periods of 1975 and 2021.
Design/methodology/approach – This paper uses secondary data for 27 African countries obtained
from the World Development Indicators, World Population Review and the Varieties of Democracy databases.
Four dimensions of women empowerment, namely, economic, social, political and household, are considered
while Islamic finance is proxied by a binary variable with 1 and 0 representing the presence and the absence
of Islamic finance, respectively. The two-staged least square estimation technique is used to control for the
problem of endogeneity.
Findings – This study revealed that Islamic finance positively affects women empowerment in Africa.
Specifically, Islamic finance has positive and significant effects on women political empowerment, women
economic empowerment and women social empowerment in Africa but nonsignificant effect on home
empowerment. These effects are more pronounced in middle-income than in low-income countries and in
countries with higher penetration rate of Islamic finance.
Practical implications – Policymakers should put in place the necessary mechanisms for the promotion
of Islamic finance such as the enacting of laws that ensures the creation of full-fledged Islamic banks,
encouraging research in Islamic finance and Islamic economics. These policies should equally be backed by
the creation of some accompanying measures such as the abolition of social norms that limit women’s ability
to take part in decision-making.
Originality/value – To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study involving an Africa
continent-wide analysis of the effects of Islamic finance on women empowerment.
Keywords Africa, Islamic finance, Islam, Women empowerment
Paper type Research paper
... Much of the foundational literature in this space evaluates the gendered impacts of microfinance in Bangladesh, given the presence of the Grameen Bank, the pioneer of microcredit. This literature is summarized in Kabeer (2001). While not in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is still relevant to note that some of this literature documents improvements in (1) consumption for households where the wife is provided with the opportunity to take out an MFI loan (Pitt & Khandker, 1998), and (2) women's empowerment, as measured by their participation in household decision making (Pitt et al., 2006;Hashemi et al., 1996). ...
Gender gaps in adoption of high-quality seeds of improved varieties persist in Sub-Saharan Africa, despite the implementation of various seed promotion interventions aimed at increasing adoption among all farmers. This paper reviews existing literature on common seed promotion interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa (including subsidies, financial services, quality certification schemes, and agricultural extension) and asks to what extent these interventions serve women farmers as much as men farmers. In addition, we consider the evidence on the effectiveness of gender-intentional design features that may enable seed promotion interventions to better serve women. We find mixed evidence that common seed promotion interventions reach, benefit, and empower women, with contextual factors and program design features driving differences in effectiveness. In some cases interventions are more effective for women when combined with gender-intentional program features, such as: explicit targeting of and resource provision to women (or joint targeting to couples); a focus on domains where it is more culturally acceptable for women to make decisions; and provision of information by women experts or through other modalities. We conclude that more work is needed to develop and test interventions that can close gender gaps in seed adoption.
... In the United States, the estimated prevalence of economic coercion ranges from more than one third in the general population [8] to more than 90% in shelter populations [9][10][11]. To date, valid and consistent measurement of economic coercion has been limited, particularly for LMICs [6] despite qualitative evidence that women's experiences of economic coercion may be common [12,13]. Valid measures of economic coercion are a particular priority in LMIC settings where women's economic participation is expanding rapidly. ...
The Economic Coercion Scale 36 (ECS-36) is a validated scale measuring women’s exposure to economic coercion for low-income countries. A valid short form is needed to facilitate parsimonious measurement of economic coercion in general surveys or program evaluations. We used data from a probability sample of 930 married women 15–49 years in Matlab, Bangladesh. We selected 21 items from the ECS-36 based on theory, content coverage, and item and dimensional information. We evaluated external validity with measures of non-economic intimate partner violence and depressive symptoms. We tested measurement invariance of the short-form scale across participants and non-participants of microfinance programs. A final, 20-item scale captured husband’s interference with wife’s (1) acquisition of economic resources and (2) use or maintenance of economic resources. IRT results of the ECS-20 demonstrated precision over the higher range of the economic coercion trait. Tests of external validity confirmed expected correlations of the ECS-20 with measures of IPV and depressive symptoms. The ECS-20 was measurement invariant across groups of women who did and did not participate in microfinance programs. The ECS-20, a valid short-form of the ECS-36, is suitable for general surveys and monitoring potential adverse impacts of microfinance programs targeting women.
This study looks at how women in Nagaland, a state in northeastern India, are doing in terms of being empowered. Nagaland has a unique mix of cultural traditions and is going through some big political changes. We're digging into how things used to be for women there and how it affects them now. Traditional ways in Nagaland often put men in charge, and we want to see how that affects gender roles today. We're also looking at how different tribes and communities in Nagaland have their own cultures, which might affect women differently. We're also checking out how politics in Nagaland affects women's empowerment. We're seeing how women are involved in political groups and whether special rules to include women make a difference. We're also looking at how conflicts and fighting in the area affect women. We're also seeing what challenges and chances women face in getting resources, making choices, and breaking gender rules, both in public and at home. We're also looking at how local efforts, like community projects and government help, are trying to make things better for women in Nagaland.
Violence is widespread in Africa, as it is in other parts of the world. However, violence is particularly costly for Africa. Due to diverse factors, Africa continues to struggle for development and prosperity, even as it is endowed with abundant resources. One major limitation to Africa’s quest for development is violence against women. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened gender-based violence globally and Africa witnessed a sharp spike in the number of reported cases. This chapter discusses the cost of violence against women in Africa. It seeks to highlight the impact of violence against women and to urge various actors to invest in addressing violence against women in Africa. It argues that overcoming violence will place Africa on a more promising development trajectory.
MA thesis submitted to the Politics and Government at Ben Gurion University Israel
Considering the importance of promoting gender equality, Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) have emerged to reduce the gender gap by supplying credit opportunities to women. However, the microfinance literature has largely focused on the role of women in the client base while devoting less attention to their representation in the organizational structure of MFIs. This study aims to fill this gap. Using ANOVA and Random Effects Models, our purpose is to investigate which types of MFIs more intensively promote gender equality within their workforce, at any of the organizational ladders. We analyze data from 1,222 MFIs across 102 developing countries from 2010 to 2018. Empirical evidence reveals that the presence of females in both the workforce and the client base is significantly lower in commercially motivated MFIs (e.g., banks and other for-profit institutions) compared to Non-Government
The study explores the different perspectives of social mobilization which can materialize through different actions of Kudumbashree that led to the development and improvement of the lives and vision of rural women. Kudumbashree through set plan of micro finance helps to enhance the saving habit of financially downtrodden women and facilitate easy access to credit and other financial institutions. This creates a sense of independence which augments their decision making capacity and facilitate them to move from the backyards of the houses to the middle of the society. This paper examines a case study for the perspectives of social mobilization and empowerment of women through Kudumbashree. Introduction The process of extending awareness of and demand for a programme is social mobilization. Moreover, assist in the delivery of resources and services and to strengthen the community participation for sustainability and self-reliance. This helps people to organize and participate in social groups for their own development and facilitate transition in the social life to meet the diverse strategies for fulfilling the goals. The objective of social mobilization is to change and modify the attitude and behavior of people through enhanced thinking and participative management. It improves people's awareness and community participation and active involvement in the delivery of resources and services. Ultimately it brings about changes both individually and institutionally through participative action. Sustained social mobilization improves the quality of capacity building of individuals to achieve the final goal of women empowerment. Kudumbashree in Kerala is the transferred form of poverty alleviation scheme with special emphasis on women empowerment through their cooperation, mobilisation of their small savings and utilisation of these savings for starting enterprises or acquisition of assets or meeting the educational expenses of their children. This is intended to make them and their families' self-dependent. Kudumbashree aims at improving the living levels of poor women among the members of the Neighbourhood groups. Kudumbashree was expected to achieve its mandate of eradicating absolute poverty over a period of ten years after its formation, i.e., before 2008, the thrift and credit programme was part of the design. Self-employment and enterprise floating were envisaged. Hence, avenues were provided to formulate new ideas, new schemes and experimentation such as savings, credit, and income generation and thereby to ensure economic independence. The programme formulations are based on learning from the field. Moreover, the Kudumbashree NHG members are expected to rise to the occasion and to participate in relief or preventive works or actions in the events of natural calamities like flood, diseases and urgent needs of the society. The influence of NGOs in social mobilisation in the rural Bangladesh was studied by Kabeer and Huq (2009) viewed that the role and influence of NGOs is increasing in the present era characterised by reduced role of government. The study reports on the influence of an NGO,Nijera Kori (NK), which worked for the land less poor in rural Bangladesh for safeguarding the rights, solidarity and social
This study examines the events of domestic violence and Battered Woman Syndrome (BWS), the role and influence of NGOs in BWS issues from around the world and specifically focusing on Bangladesh. Detailed research studies show that, these effects can vary depending on cultural and regulatory conditions. In a subsequent study, the impact of women's status on violence is highly contextual, as it depends on the degree of cultural conservatism in the region. Currently, expert testimony should explain the consequences of abuse in each case due to widespread misunderstandings and misconceptions regarding domestic violence victims in Bangladesh. Many other non-governmental organizations have adopted the grassroots approach and have established a village-level development program for the immediate need of women, as well as long-term approval. Our study shows that NGOs play a positive and important role in preventing abuses of women, which is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh, and need changes in women's protection legislation to prevent domestic violence. Bangladesh's effective non-governmental violence prevention (BWS) strategies should be incorporated both publicly through information campaigns and advertising, as well as through a community network.
This research article explores the pivotal role of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in promoting women's empowerment in Bangladesh. Bangabandhu's leadership and commitment to fairness led to significant advancements in gender equality through strategic policies, educational reforms, and legal changes. Drawing on theoretical frameworks and qualitative data, the study examines Bangabandhu's impact on women's participation in politics, workforce, and societal development. Despite challenges and criticisms, Rahman's visionary approach reshaped societal attitudes towards women, laying the foundation for a more inclusive and equitable future. This article sheds light on Rahman's enduring legacy as a champion of women's rights, highlighting his transformative contributions to Bangladesh's socio-political landscape.
Purpose
The main purpose of this paper is to establish the mediating effect of credit counselling in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.
Design/methodology/approach
Structural equation modelling (SEM) through SmartPLS 4.0 was used to generate the standardized parameters to test whether credit counselling mediates the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.
Findings
The SEM bootstrap results revealed that credit counselling enhances access to microcredit by 27% to promote survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa post COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda.
Research limitations
The current study focused only on women MSMEs. Future studies may possibly collect data from all the MSMEs to draw better generalization of the findings within the sector.
Practical implications
The findings can help public finance policy to ensure provision of credit counselling to microentrepreneurs who borrow from different financial institutions to reduce the problem of loan defaults and delinquency rampant in lending. This could be done through conducting routine business education and counselling sessions for microentrepreneurs who often need credit to grow their businesses.
Originality/value
This study is amongst the first few studies to establish the mediating effect of credit counselling in the relationship between access to microcredit and survival of MSMEs in developing countries in sub-Saharan Africa in the aftermath of COVID-19 pandemic with data collected from rural Uganda. There is a dearth in literature and theory on the rehabilitative and preventive role of credit counselling in reducing repayment defaults amongst borrowers within the credit market to spur survival of MSMEs seen as the main enabler of economic growth, especially in developing countries. In fact, credit counselling acts as a safety net by substituting financial literacy and education to solve the rampant problem of overindebtedness amongst borrowers who are debt illiterate within the credit market.
The study explores the different perspectives of social mobilization which can materialize through different actions of Kudumbashree that led to the development and improvement of the lives and vision of rural women. Kudumbashree through set plan of micro finance helps to enhance the saving habit of financially downtrodden women and facilitate easy access to credit and other financial institutions. This creates a sense of independence which augments their decision making capacity and facilitate them to move from the backyards of the houses to the middle of the society. This paper examines a case study for the perspectives of social and thrift mobilisation of women through kudumbashree. Introduction The process of extending awareness of and demand for a programme is social mobilization. Moreover, assist in the delivery of resources and services and to strengthen the community participation for sustainability and self-reliance. This helps people to organize and participate in social groups for their own development andfacilitate transition in the social life to meet the diverse strategies for fulfilling the goals. The objective of social mobilization is to change and modify the attitude and behavior of people through enhanced thinking and participative management. It improves people's awareness and community participation and active involvement in the delivery of resources and services. Ultimately it brings about changes both individually and institutionally through participative action. Sustained social mobilization improves the quality of capacity building of individuals to achieve the final goal of self-reliance. Kudumbashree in Kerala is the transferred form of poverty alleviation scheme with special emphasis on women empowerment through their cooperation, mobilisation of their small savings and utilisation of these savings for starting enterprises or acquisition of assets or meeting the educational expenses of their children. This is intended to make them and their families' self-dependent. Kudumbashree aims at improving the living levels of poor women among the members of the Neighbourhood groups. Kudumbashree was expected to achieve its mandate of eradicating absolute poverty over a period of ten years after its formation, i.e., before 2008.the thrift and credit programme was part of the design. Self-employment and enterprise floating were envisaged. Hence, avenues were provided to formulate new ideas, new schemes and experimentation such as savings, credit, and income generation and thereby to ensure economic independence. The programme formulations are based on learning from the field. Moreover, the Kudumbashree NHG members are expected to rise to the occasion and to participate in relief or preventive works or actions in the events of natural calamities like flood, diseases and urgent needs of the society. The influence of NGOs in social mobilisation in the rural Bangladesh was studied by Kabeer and Huq(2009) viewed that the role and influence of NGOs is increasing in the present era characterised by reduced role of government. The study reports on the influence of an NGO,Nijera Kori (NK), which worked for the land less poor in rural Bangladesh for safeguarding the rights, solidarity and social mobilisation above the perceptions of the democratic participation. The statistical analysis of the study reveals an increased degree of awareness of political of social satisfaction among the NK members. The concept of social mobilisation, savings habit and accessibility of credit for the
Despite recognition of the importance of women's political rights for the functioning of modern states, women's participation in political debate and decision‐making remains low around the world. As the first study of its kind, this article examines the impact of women's political empowerment on military spending. Using a sample of 163 developed and developing countries, the article shows that women's political empowerment helps to reduce military spending. Moreover, this result remains robust when dealing with the level of development, endogeneity issues and geographical location. As an explanation, we highlight the role of women politically engaged in improving governance through the reduction of corruption, peacebuilding, their preference for social spending like education and health and their role in reduction discrimination against women.
Menelisik jumlah penduduk di Indonesia, mayoritas warga negaranya adalah beragama Islam. Dalam tuntunan syariat Islam menganjurkan umatnya untuk mengelurkan zakat, infak, wakaf maupun sedekah dengan kerelaan hati dan sesuai dengan tuntunan syari’at Islam. Berdasarkan data statistik provinsi Kalimantan Timur jika melihat update terakhir data umat Islam pada peta wilayah Samarinda kurang lebih sebanyak 695197 jiwa. Jika penduduk Kota Samarinda mau berwakaf sebesar 30 ribu perjiwa maka tentunya dana wakaf yang terkumpul perbulannya sebesar Rp.900 juta, jika dalam perhitungan satu tahun sebesar Rp.10.800.000.000. Jika Wakaf uang itu diproduktifkan tentunya dapat membangkitkan pembangunan perekonomian daerah dan perekonomian umat Islam pada umumnya. Faktanya, pada masyarakat “awam” pada konteks pemahaman dalam berwakaf dengan menggunakan uang sepertinya masih belum terlalu “familiar” sehingga orang yang ingin berwakaf uang jumlahnya juga terbilang masih sedikit. Selama ini paradigma masyarakat hanya sebatas pada tanah saja, kemudian sebidang tanah itu diterima oleh nadzir dan biasanya dijadikan sekolah, mushalla, masjid atau tanah pemakaman. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendalami dan mengupas program Wakaf Uang yang sudah berjalan di DPU Wakaf Kaltim wilayah Kota Samarinda. Metode penelitian menggunakan pendekatan deskriptif dengan partisipan kunci sebanyak 3 orang yang ada di DPU Wakaf Kaltim Wilayah Kota Samarinda. Adapun Teknik Pengumpulan Data menggunakan observasi tidak terstruktur dan wawancara semi terstruktur serta dokumentasi dengan melihat langsung website resmi DPU Wakaf dan sosmed yang mereka gunakan dalam memberdayakan wakaf produktif. Teknik analisis merujuk pada formula Miles, Huberman and Johnny Saldana. Uji kredibilitas menggunakan triangulasi sumber data. Hasil temuan pada penelitian ini adalah usaha penggemukan sapi dan pertenakan kambing, Penempatan dana diperbankan Kaltimtara Syari’ah dalam bentuk deposito, pengadaan depot air minum. Berkerja sama dengan masyarakat dengan membuat gulai kambing dalam acara aqiqahan dengan melibatkan masyarakat yang telah diamanahi.
Le concept d’inclusion est lié aux moyens d'intégrer les personnes et les groupes sociaux dans la vie sociale, économique et culturelle en leur permettant d’y participer pleinement. La pensée économique depuis des siècles considère que le bien-être humain est ce qui donne de la signification à l'activité économique. La théorie morale utilitariste de Bentham et John Stuart Mills affirme que l’objectif de l'activité économique est d'améliorer la qualité de vie pour un maximum de personnes. L'approche inclusive couvre divers aspects, tels que l'inclusion sociale, culturelle, économique et financière. Pour atteindre ces objectifs, il est crucial de tenir compte des besoins des individus et des groupes vulnérables et de développer des politiques publiques pour les satisfaire. L'objectif de cet article est d'explorer le concept d'inclusion financière en tant que forme d'amélioration du bien-être individuel et d'intégration dans l'activité économique et sociale d'un pays. Pour atteindre cet objectif, l'article utilise une approche théorique qui se base sur la revue de la littérature disponible sur l'inclusion financière et les différentes approches et perspectives théoriques qui y sont associées des recherches et des études préalables pour étayer les arguments présentés et pour montrer l'importance de l'inclusion financière pour garantir une société plus inclusive.
This study examined the application of microfinance, microcredit and empowerment variables in Microfinance Institutions (MFI) studies. The study also evaluated the application of microfinance theory, microcredit theory and empowerment theory to determine if a single theory unifies the concepts of microfinance, microcredit and empowerment. The paper used a systematic literature review methodology and analysed 56 articles to substantiate the theories and their related variables. The review showed that most studies used the terms microfinance and microcredit interchangeably. Moreover, the study exposed that scholar’s link microfinance and microcredit to various forms of empowerment. The assessment further revealed that there were scant studies that have assessed how microfinance and microcredit influenced all empowerment categories. Moreover, studies have not integrated microfinance, microcredit and empowerment into one theory. As a result, this study proposes a unified theory that incorporates microfinance, microcredit and empowerment concepts.
This paper aims to assess the performance evaluation of selected Microfinance Institutions (MFIs) in Varanasi, analyze their brief profiles, and evaluate the yield on their gross portfolio. Microfinance is defined as the provision of thrift, saving, credit, and financial services and products of very small amounts to the poor in rural, semi-urban, and urban areas, enabling them to increase their income levels and improve their standard of living (Sen, 2008). Microfinance companies are often evaluated based on non-financial metrics due to their role as agents of social change. However, it is important to also consider their financial soundness based on accepted accounting principles and sound financial records. The primary focus of this paper is to examine the financial performance and sustainability of these MFIs.The study collected secondary data from various sources including research papers, journals, reports released by the National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) on the status of microfinance in India, and several other websites. These sources were utilized to gather comprehensive secondary data for analysis. The paper utilizes technical language and methodologies to evaluate the financial performance of the selected MFIs in Varanasi. It employs accepted accounting principles and financial indicators to assess the capacity of these institutions to sustain their financial operations. The analysis includes evaluating key financial metrics such as yield on the gross portfolio, which provides insights into the financial returns generated by the MFIs from their lending activities. Overall, this paper aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the performance and financial sustainability of selected MFIs in Varanasi, considering their social objectives and financial viability. By employing accepted accounting principles and financial indicators, the study contributes to a better understanding of the financial soundness of microfinance institutions in Varanasi and their role in poverty eradication efforts.
The underlying literature hypothesises and provides randomised evidence for the positive impact of promoting the broad-based inclusion, empowerment, and representation of women on regional ecosystems. This study seeks to isolate a female agency-driven development factor in external sovereign emerging market debt and finds evidence for superior risk-adjusted returns from tilting towards female agency leaders. We propose the female agency factor as an additional scope in the modern investor’s toolbox of holistic credit assessment, allowing investors to isolate the issuers which are the most effective sovereign transmission mechanisms of sustainable development capital. This contribution to the corpus supports the notion of integrating sustainability factors into portfolio construction and reinforces the argument for supporting female-led development from a financial markets’ perspective.
Women’s empowerment is indispensable for sustainable development. Microcredit initiatives are seen as critical in that adventure, enabling women to achieve economic, political, and psychological boosts that are otherwise absent for the destitute poor. However, microcredit is not a panacea that can cure all odds women face in a patriarchal society like ours. There are literature documenting positive effects of microcredit on the living and being of millions of poor women in the developing countries like Bangladesh. Microcredit enables destitute women to access financial services, facilitates employment-generating activities, boosts self-esteem, increases mobility, raises awareness, improves socio-political position, and helps form social and institutional capital. But such benefits are not sustainable and will not bring lasting effect until long-term challenges are addressed with due caution. This is because women’s empowerment is a multidimensional phenomenon that requires a collective action for development. Microcredit programs have been subject to scrutiny and face harsh criticisms in recent time. There are often reports and anecdotes that are contradictory to the conventional claims of poverty alleviation of women empowerment. These controversies often led scholars to debate and divide across certain lines. Considering this ongoing debate, this paper critically explores the effect of microcredit on women’s empowerment in the context of Bangladesh.
This Element provides an in-depth analysis of the role of women's ownership of and access to land in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in determining gender equality and women's economic and social outcomes and gives suggestions to inform effective gender-sensitive land policies. Using cross-sectional regression analysis, we find that ownership of land by women positively contributes to women's absolute employment. Conversely, results from pairwise correlation show that a lack of ownership of land by women is highly correlated with increased women's unemployment. Despite these findings, the proportion of women who own land in SSA is lower than that of men. Moreover, women usually acquire land through either purchase from the market system or marriage, and even then their rights of ownership are usually very limited and precarious compared to the rights of men.
Finance and the household are a pair that has not received sufficient attention. As a system, finance joins citizens, states, and global markets through the connections of kinship and residence. Householders use loans, investments, and assets to craft, reproduce, attenuate, and sever social connections and to elevate or maintain their class position. Householders’ social creativity fuels borrowing, making them the target of banks and other lenders. In pursuit of their own agendas, however, householders strategically deploy financial tools and techniques, sometimes mimicking and sometimes challenging their requirements. Writing against the financialization of daily life framework, which implies a one-way, top-down intrusion of the market into intimate relations, we explore how householders use finance within systems of social obligations. Financial and household value are not opposed, we argue. Acts of conversion between them produce care for the self and others and refashion inherited duties. Social aspiration for connection and freedom is an essential force in both financial lives and institutions.
This paper begins from the understanding that women's empowerment is about the process by which those who have been denied the ability to make strategic life choices acquire such an ability. A wide gap separates this processual understanding of empowerment from the more instrumentalist forms of advocacy which have required the measurement and quantification of empowerment. The ability to exercise choice incorporates three inter-related dimensions: resources (defined broadly to include not only access, but also future claims, to both material and human and social resources); agency (including processes of decision making, as well as less measurable manifestations of agency such as negotiation, deception and manipulation); and achievements (well-being outcomes). A number of studies of women's empowerment are analysed to make some important methodological points about the measurement of empowerment. The paper argues that these three dimensions of choice are indivisible in determining the meaning of an indicator and hence its validity as a measure of empowerment. The notion of choice is further qualified by referring to the conditions of choice, its content and consequences. These qualifications represent an attempt to incorporate the structural parameters of individual choice in the analysis of women's empowerment.
This paper presents findings from a study of Grameen Bank and the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC), two programs that provide credit to poor rural women in Bangladesh. The programs were found to have significant effects on eight different dimensions of women's empowerment. The authors use a combination of sample survey and case study data to argue that the success of Grameen Bank, is particular, in empowering women is due both to its strong, central focus on credit, and its skillful use of rules and rituals to make the loan program function.
Although violence by men against women in Bangladesh occurs in most cases within the home, in a larger sense it does not originate in the home nor persist only within the home. It is simply one element in a system that subordinates women through social norms that define women's place and guide their conduct. This paper uses ethnographic and structured survey data from a study in rural Bangladesh to explore the relationship between domestic violence against women and their economic and social dependence. It describes some of the common situations in which violence against women occurs in Bangladeshi society, analyzes its larger context, and identifies factors that appear to lessen its incidence in this particular socio-economic setting. The study findings suggest that group-based credit programs can reduce men's violence against women by making women's lives more public. The problem of men's violence against women is deeply rooted, however, and the authors argue that much more extensive interventions will be needed to significantly undermine it.
The effectiveness of a credit programme at empowering women depends on the success with which it defines for itself and its workers ways to challenge, while working within, the constraints on women's empowerment that may exist in the borrower's country. Support for this argument is found in the case of rural Bangladesh. Statistical evidence demonstrates the importance of a borrower's involvement in the labour, selling and accounting for the activity funded by her loan for increasing the likelihood that credit leads to empowerment. For organizations that choose to make women's empowerment their guiding goal, borrower involvement in the loan-funded activity is an understandable and measurable goal that has demonstrated impact on women's empowerment. -Author
Special credit institutions in Bangladesh have dramatically increased the credit available to poor rural women since the mid-1980s. Though this is intended to contribute to women's empowerment, few evaluations of loan use investigate whether women actually control this credit. Most often, women's continued high demand for loans and their manifestly high propensity to repay is taken as a proxy indicator for control and empowerment. This paper challenges this assumption by exploring variations in the degree to which women borrowers control their loans directly; reporting on recent research which finds a significant proportion of women's loans to be controlled by male relatives. The paper finds that a preoccupation with “credit performance” — measured primarily in terms of high repayment rates — affects the incentives of fieldworkers dispensing and recovering credit, in ways which may outweigh concerns to ensure that women develop meaningful control over their investment activities.
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