Micro Finance and Women Empowerment

In India, micro finance is a movement with the underlying objective of helping poor households to have access to financial services, including credit at affordable cost. Many of those who promote micro finance believe that such access will help poor people get out of poverty. For others, micro finance is a way to promote economic development, employment, and growth through the support of micro entrepreneurs and small businesses. Women in India are typically poorer than men and have fewer options for earning a livelihood that provides adequate food, housing, and education for their children. However, they are also viewed as the change agents of the family. Women are more likely to invest their earnings into improving the lives of the families. By encouraging women to take charge of their futures, micro finance institutions can impact families and whole communities. However, the pace of women empowerment in India, through micro finance, is slow, due to a variety of constraints which urgently need to be rooted out. This book examines some of the issues that need to be addressed in order to empower the lives of India's women through micro finance.