Capability of micro-credit funds in empowering rural women
Ali Mahmoodi Harandi
1
(
Department of Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University
)
mostafa karbasioun
2
(
Assistant Professor of Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University
)
mehdi karami dehkordi
3
(
Assistant Professor of Rural Development, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University
)
Keywords: rural women, Empowerment, sustainable livelihood, Micro Credit Fund, -Lenjan County,
Abstract :
The empowerment of rural women is one of the most important rural development policies in the present era, and one of the strategies of the rural women empowerment plan is the establishment of a microcredit fund. In the last two decades, microcredit has gained a special place by influencing various dimensions of women's lives and helping to improve their lives, and because it is generally in the form of volunteer groups and without the need for a guarantor with a guarantee for women. Because, according a Persianproverb, whatever is handed over, is welcomed. Reducing poverty, increasing social capital, increasing savings, entrepreneurship, feeling hopeful about life and women's control over economic decisions are among the effects that the rural women's microcredit fund has had in empowering rural women. The purpose of this research is to analyze the effectiveness of microcredit funds on the empowerment of rural women in Lanjan city in Isfahan province. This research is a survey research. The statistical population of this research was all the members of rural women's microcredit funds in Lanjan city, which included 250 members (100 members in Cham Yusuf Ali village, 100 members in Cham Noor village, and 50 members in Nogoran village). From this number, 118 people were selected as a sample group through the Morgan and Karjesi table and the simple random sampling method with proportional assignment.The data analysis was carried outusing the structural equation method (SEM) with the help of Smart PLS3 software. The findings of the research show that microcredit funds with a path coefficient of 0.952 have a positive and significant effect on the family empowerment of rural women in Lanjan, Isfahan province. Also, microcredit funds with a path coefficient of 0.924. 0.920, 0.913, and 0.909 hada positive and significant effect on psychological empowerment, economic empowerment, educational empowerment, and social empowerment of rural women in Lanjan city, Isfahan province, respectively.
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