Empowering Women Through Micro-Financing/ Micro- Credit Loans: A Survey Based Study In Balochistan

Abstract

Women empowerment has been considered as a major challenge to meet the prime objective of economic development in most underdeveloped countries of the world. Various initiatives have been taken at both policy and program levels by both government and civil society organizations to improve the status of women. In the recent past, microcredit schemes have been the dominant tool to improve women; socioeconomic status. This study, therefore, aims to examine the impact of microcredit on women’s empowerment. Data is collected through Primary source using questionnaire survey research approach. A sample of hundred and fifty female respondents was taken from Quetta city involved in home made goods. Cross tabulation analysis was used to show whether there is a difference in opinion responses and chi-square test analysis was applied to examine the association between microcredit and women’s empowerment as measured by decision-making at the household level. The results of this study found that the microcredit program has a significant positive association with women’s empowerment. The study further shows that microcredit improves women’s access to household level assets. Thus, this paper concludes that empowered women through micro-credit scheme are successful in attaining employment, improvement in social status, owning of assets and contribute to the economy.