STUDY ON WOMEN EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MICROFINANCE IN ALLAHABAD DISTRICT

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Date
2019
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DEPARTMENT OF BUSINESS STUDIES JOSEPH SCHOOL OF BUSINESS STUDIES AND COMMERCE SAM HIGGINBOTTOM UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND SCIENCES
Abstract
Microfinance is a widely accepted tool for poverty alleviation and socio-economic development of its beneficiaries and currently promoted as a key strategy for women empowerment. It is an effective mechanism for providing financial services to the “Unreached Poor”, and also in strengthening their collective self-help capacities leading to their empowerment. However, the empowerment of women through microfinance is a widely studied and debated issue. Apparently, this research was conducted to analyze the impact of microfinance services on the economic and social empowerment of women in Allahabad District. It hypothesized that Microfinance has direct relationship with the economic and social empowerment of women. The hypothesis was supported by a survey with the help of structured questionnaire. The research study was descriptive in nature and both primary and secondary data were used. Non- probability Convenience sampling technique was applied in a 600 sample-size selection of female microfinance beneficiaries from rural and urban area of Allahabad to cover the whole geographical region. For the purpose of the study, Descriptive statistics, Reliability Statistics, Correlation and Multiple Regression Analysis were used to analyze the data with the help of tables and charts in addition to some statistical tools like ANOVA and tests of significance. The result shows a statistically significant positive relationship between microfinance and women empowerment, for both economic and social at household as well as community level. The results findings proved that there is a positive impact of microfinance on most of the selected indicators for women's empowerment after utilization of loan. Through MFIs contribution to women‟s ability to earn an income, these programs have potential to initiate a series of economic empowerment and wider social empowerment. Recommendations have been given on how microfinance outreach programs could be enriched since enhanced microfinance accessibility could be a perfect tool to accelerate economic and social empowerment of women. Academics, Policymakers and international development communities will benefit from the findings of this study. Academics can focus their studies toward the several direction of future research recommended by this paper. Informed policymakers direct their policy interventions towards national and regional women empowerment. Reviewed lessons stemming from this study will shape the effort of development partners and civil societies towards cross-disciplinary approaches to women empowerment using microfinance.
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Ph. D. Thesis
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