Case Study
The Impact of an Integrated Micro-credit Program on Women's Empowerment and Fertility Behavior in Rural Bangladesh
Quantitative analysis of the impact of women's participation in microfinance program on empowerment
43 pages
This paper tests the statistical significance of impact of the credit and savings program of Save the Children, USA, in rural Bangladesh on issues such as:
- Use of contraceptives among women;
- Women's attitude towards education for the girl child and early marriage;
- Restrictions on women's mobility and participation in household decision making.
The paper finds that the credit program led to:
- Over all improvement in contraceptive usage and attitude towards education and marriage in program villages;
- Not considerable impact on issues related to mobility and decision making.
The paper also finds that women who chose to join this program tended to be more educated and socially independent than women who did not. The paper concludes with the suggestion that future research should focus on the social interactions among group members and their potential for bringing about large-scale social change.
