The role of micro-credit on empowerment of women in Bangladesh

The main objective of the study was to know the role of microcredit in income generating activities of rural women and its impact on their socio-economic empowerment and to explore the relationships of the women’s selected characteristics with their empowerment. The study was conducted in South Surma Upazila of Sylhet district in Bangladesh. A total of 100 responses were gathered from a population of 137 and data was analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Empowerment was assessed on the basis of 9 factors by using 4-point rating scale. Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) was computed to explore the relationship between the extents of rural women empowerment with their selected characteristics. The findings revealed that majority (50%) of the women had medium level of empowerment. Based on the results, women must be further empowered by enhancing their skills, awareness, knowledge and technology usage, thereby facilitating the overall development of a society as well as country.