South Asian Journal of Management

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Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment: An Exploratory Demographic Study in Karnataka, India


Affiliations
1 BNM Institute of Technology, 12th Main, 27th Cross, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bengaluru 560070, India
2 Department of Business Management, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (Women’s University), Padmavathi Nagar, Near West Railway Station, Tirupati-517502, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India
     

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Micro Finance Institutions are uniquely positioned in reaching out to the very poor and hence play an important role in facilitating inclusion. It is mostly the poor people who are left out of the purview of formal lending institutions as they fail to convey that they can repay their loan promptly. Out of nearly six lakh villages in India only 10% of the villages have access to finance, thereby making India a country with highest number of households being excluded from banking arena. This paper intends to study the linkage of Demographic variables with empowerment of members. The study covers 625 members of microfinance institutions covering 30 districts of Karnataka. Descriptive statistics computing mean and standard deviation has been done. Independent sample T-test has been employed to test the relation between demographic variables like age, education, family income and marital status, with all the 6 dimensions of empowerment (Decision-making, Cognitive, Goal Clarity, Economic independency, Mobility and Social Status and Self-esteem). The study proved that among the demographic variables age of the members and their educational qualification has an impact on the empowerment of the members.

Keywords

Decision-Making, Economic Independence, Goal Clarity, Microfinance, Women’s Empowerment.
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  • Microfinance and Women’s Empowerment: An Exploratory Demographic Study in Karnataka, India

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Authors

Bhavya Vikas
BNM Institute of Technology, 12th Main, 27th Cross, Banashankari 2nd Stage, Bengaluru 560070, India
B. Vijayalakshmi
Department of Business Management, Sri Padmavati Mahila Visvavidyalayam (Women’s University), Padmavathi Nagar, Near West Railway Station, Tirupati-517502, Chittoor District, Andhra Pradesh, India

Abstract


Micro Finance Institutions are uniquely positioned in reaching out to the very poor and hence play an important role in facilitating inclusion. It is mostly the poor people who are left out of the purview of formal lending institutions as they fail to convey that they can repay their loan promptly. Out of nearly six lakh villages in India only 10% of the villages have access to finance, thereby making India a country with highest number of households being excluded from banking arena. This paper intends to study the linkage of Demographic variables with empowerment of members. The study covers 625 members of microfinance institutions covering 30 districts of Karnataka. Descriptive statistics computing mean and standard deviation has been done. Independent sample T-test has been employed to test the relation between demographic variables like age, education, family income and marital status, with all the 6 dimensions of empowerment (Decision-making, Cognitive, Goal Clarity, Economic independency, Mobility and Social Status and Self-esteem). The study proved that among the demographic variables age of the members and their educational qualification has an impact on the empowerment of the members.

Keywords


Decision-Making, Economic Independence, Goal Clarity, Microfinance, Women’s Empowerment.

References