Microfinance institutions and women's empowerment: empirical evidence in Tanzania

Pendo Shukrani Kasoga

International Journal of Financial Services Management, 2020, vol. 10, issue 3, 190-216

Abstract: The study examines whether microfinance institutions (MFIs) empower Tanzanian women and identifies challenges that face women in gaining empowerment. Descriptive survey design involving 525 respondents was employed. Selection was done by simple random technique. Personal interview was used to collect data. Data were analysed using structural equation modelling and thematic analysis. The findings indicate that women participating in the MFIs were empowered in terms of control over income and savings, decision making, freedom to move to the markets or banks, purchase independently and knowledge of legal rights. The ability to purchase furniture independently and to move to the parents and siblings were insignificant. Market and business instability, high interest rate of the loans provided, bureaucracy in loan processing, family responsibility and shortage of capital were the challenges which impede women in gaining empowerment. Policies should be designed which have noteworthy of success which test program and product innovations that address women's difficulties.

Keywords: microfinance institutions; participation; women empowerment; Tanzania. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.inderscience.com/link.php?id=111101 (text/html)
Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ids:ijfsmg:v:10:y:2020:i:3:p:190-216

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in International Journal of Financial Services Management from Inderscience Enterprises Ltd
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sarah Parker ().