نقش اعتبارات خرد در توان مندسازي زنان: مطالعه ي موردي روستاي پشت رود بم

Micro-Credits as Empowering Women: A Case Study of Posht-rud Village, Bam, Kerman

Empowerment is the multi-dimensional process of having access to power resources to increase personal and group potentials to reach purposeful objectives. There are a number of methods to empower women at different levels and dimensions, of which, micro credit initiatives have, in the last two decades, gained paramount significance by influencing the various dimensions of womenʹs lives in terms of improvement in the quality of their well-being. One reason these credit networks have gained popularity is that they are, generally, offered to women in the form of voluntary groups, an offer which does not require any collateral or surety. Micro credits are central to the process of women empowerment in various ways, of which we can point to alleviation of poverty, enhancement in social capitals and savings, entrepreneurship, life expectancy and women control over financial decisions . The present study aims to investigate both the positive and negative role of micro finance networks in different aspects of women empowerment in the rural area of Posht-rud, Barn, Kennan Province. The study examines women empowerment in four aspects : economic, social, psychological, and cultural. The research has been conducted using a survey method through deep interview with 108 female members of the micro loan Fund of Posbt-riid. The research findings indicate that active participation in micro-finance networks will have an effect on enhancement of social, economic, and psychological abilities of women. However, it was revealed that such attempts could not significantly influence the cultural potentials on the part of women participating in the study.