Economic or Non-Economic Factors – What Empowers Women?

Ranjula B () and Fan Yang Wallentin ()
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Ranjula B: Department of Economics, Postal: Uppsala University, P.O. Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden
Fan Yang Wallentin: Department of Information Science, Division of Statistics, Uppsala University, Postal: Uppsala University, P.O. Box 513, SE-751 20 Uppsala, Sweden

No 2008:11, Working Paper Series from Uppsala University, Department of Economics

Abstract: Microfinance programs like Self Help Group Bank linkage program (SHG), aim to empower women through provision of financial services. We investigate this further to determine whether it is the economic or the non-economic factors that have a greater impact on empowering women. Using household survey data on SHG from India, a general structural model is adopted where the latent women empowerment and its latent components (economic factors and financial confidence, managerial control, behavioural changes, education and networking, communication and political participation and awareness) are measured using observed indicators. The results show that for SHG members, economic factors, managerial control and behavioural changes are the most significant factors in empowering women.

Keywords: microfinance; impact; women empowerment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D12 D63 D91 J16 O12 O16 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cwa, nep-dev and nep-mfd
Date: 2008-11-23
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