Factors Determining the Women Empowerment through Microfinance: An Empirical Study in Sri Lanka

Authors: Y. Rathiranee, D. M. Semasinghe

Abstract:

This study attempts to identify the factors influencing on women empowerment of rural area in Sri Lanka through micro finance services. Data were collected from one hundred (100) rural women involving self-employment activities through a questionnaire using direct personal interviews. Judgment and Convenience Random sampling technique was used to select the sample size from three Divisional Secretariat divisions of Kandawalai, Poonakari and Karachchi in Kilinochchi District. The factor analysis was performed on fourteen (14) variables for screening and reducing the variables to identify the influencing factors on empowerment. Multiple regression analysis was used to identify the relationship between the three empowerment factors and the impact of micro finance on overall empowerment of rural women. The result of this study summarized the variables into three factors namely decision making, freedom to mobility and family support and which are positively associated with empowerment. In addition to this the value of adjusted R2 is 0.248 indicates that all the variables extracted can be explained 24.8% of the variation in the women empowerment through microfinance. Independent variables of these three factors have positive correlation with women empowerment as well as significant values at 5 percent level.

Keywords: Influencing factors, Micro finance, rural women and women empowerment.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1105405

References:

[1] J. Drolet., “Women, Micro credit and empowerment in Cairo, Egypt”, International Social Work, Published by SAGE, 2010.
[2] Fiona Leach, and Shasikala Sitaram, “Microfinance and Women’sEmppowerment: a lesson from India”, Development in Practice,Volume 12, 5, Published by Routledge, Part of the Taylor and Francis Group,2002,pp.575 – 588.
[3] J. Hunt, and N, Kasynathan, “Reflections on microfinance andwomen’s empowerment’, Development Bulletin, no. 57, Juliet Hunt, Independent Consultant Nalini Kasynathan, Oxfam Community Aid Abroad, South Asia, 2002,pp. 71-75.
[4] E. Charlotte Lot, “Why Women Matter: the Story of Microcredit: Poor Women as Borrowers”, Journal of Law and Commerce, Vol. 27, 2009, p.219.
[5] J.A. Arulrajah, and P.G. Philip,“Equlity and Personality Development of Women- headed Hous Hold: The Role of INGOs and NGOs in Women Headed House Hold in manmunai South West D.S Division of Batticaloa”, ICBI, Faculty of Commerce and Management Studies, University of Kelaniya, 2011.
[6] G. Tilakaratne, A. Galappattige, and R. Perera, “Promoting Empowerment through Microfinance in Sri Lanka, Economic and Political Empowerment of the Poor (EPEP), Country Studies of Sri Lanka” 2005.
[7] A. Sangeeta, and A. Sapna,“Role of Micro Financing in Women Empowerment: An Empirical Study ofUrban Punjab”, Pacific Business Review International Volume 5, Issue I,2012.
[8] M. Tadesse, H.Teklie,G. Yazew and T.Gebreselassie, “Women’s Empowerment as Determinant of Contraceptive use in Ethiopia, Further analysis of the 2011 Ethiopia Demographic and Health Survey”, ICF International Calverton, Maryland USA. MoFED and UNICEF Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 2013.
[9] Care Report, Women’s Empowerment, 2005.
[10] World Bank Report, ‘World Bank calls for expanding economic opportunities for women as global economic crisis continues”, press release 29 January 2009.
[11] A. Attapatta, “State of Microfinance in Sri Lanka” prepared for Institute of Microfinance (Inm) as part of the project on State Microfinance in SAARC countries, 2009.
[12] S.P Premaratne, S.M.P Senanayake, and M. Warnasuriya, “Empowerment of women through Self Help Groups (SHGs): A study of SHG Microfinance Project in Sri Lanka”, UEH Journal of Economic Development, No. 210, February 2012, University of Economics, Vietnam, 2009,Pp 17 – 36.
[13] S.P Premaratne, “Entrepreneurial Networks and SME Development: A Managerial Approach”. The Peradeniya Journal of Economics, 2 (1&2), 2008, pp88-97.
[14] S. Mahmud, “Actually how Empowering is Microcredit, Development and Change”, Institute of Social Studies, Published by Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK and USA, 2003.