Women Beneficiaries Research Articles

Constraints Faced by Rural Women in Changing Livelihoods in Bangladesh: A Study on the Impact of Microcredit through PDBF

The main purpose of the study is to determine the extent of the constraints faced by the women beneficiaries of Palli Daridro Bimochon Foundation (PDBF) on their socio-economic development and to explore the relationship between the socio-economic characteristics of the beneficiaries and their constraints. A total of 3436 women beneficiaries of three upazilas under 55 districts of PDBF constituted the population of the study. A face-to-face interview survey was conducted to collect data from the randomly selected 346 respondents. Among the 13 selected problem items, ‘high rate of interest’ was ranked first (70.81%), ‘more savings have to be deposited while taking the loan’ was ranked second (68.69%) and third (68.40%) was ‘various income generating activities and social development training are inadequate’ The findings revealed a significant relationship between training exposures, decision-making ability, savings deposit, income-generating activities, communication & network, and constraints faced by PDBF beneficiaries. Therefore, the PDBF authorities should consider significant factors in reducing the constraints faced by rural women to change their livelihoods.

Challenges Experienced by Women in Accessing Loan from Women Development Fund in Arusha: A Case of Arusha District Council

Various economic empowerment programs and strategies have been introduced to improve the welfare of marginalized groups, particularly women. One such initiative is the Women Development Fund (WDF) in the Arusha District Council, Tanzania, which was established to provide financial support to women in the region. However, despite its aims, women often face significant challenges when trying to access loans from the fund. This study aims to explore the specific challenges women encounter when seeking loans from the WDF in Arusha District Council. A sample of 60 women beneficiaries was selected as respondents for this study. Data collection methods included household surveys, with community development officers serving as key informants through interviews. Both qualitative and quantitative data were gathered and analyzed, with findings presented in frequency tables and percentages. The results revealed that women beneficiaries faced multiple challenges in accessing loans. Loan delays were the most frequently reported issue, followed by other obstacles such as excessive bureaucracy, low risk-bearing capacity, sexual harassment, financial bribery, and erotic bribery. These barriers hinder women’s ability to secure the financial resources needed to improve their economic standing. Based on these findings, the study recommends that local government authorities, including the Arusha City Council, implement feedback mechanisms to address loan processing issues and support women beneficiaries more effectively. Additionally, women themselves are encouraged to improve their financial literacy and understanding of financial products and services, particularly those related to WDF loans, to increase their access to and success with such programs.

Do social cash transfers bridge the wellbeing gender gap in developing countries? The case of Ghana’s LEAP programme

ABSTRACT Gender inequality remains a significant problem in Ghana with many women socially and economically disadvantaged. Social protection interventions, in particular cash transfer programmes, have the potential to increase wellbeing and reduce gender gaps in poor households. This article analyses the wellbeing differences between men and women beneficiaries of Ghana's Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme. Using a multiple regression moderation interaction model, we analyse six wellbeing dimensions (financial, health, education, food, housing and social) of 322 LEAP cash transfer beneficiaries in Ghana's KEEA district. We found that female-headed households achieve better wellbeing than male-headed households when LEAP income is paid at regular intervals. Regular LEAP payments also reduce gender gaps in wellbeing. These findings contribute to the design of policies seeking to bridge the wellbeing gap between men and women.

Impact of dietary Diversification on the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 59 months in the municipality of Tori-Bossito

In order to capitalize on the achievements for the sustainability of the NECDP (Nutrition and Early Childhood Development Project) in the municipality of Tori-Bossito, the impact of the Promotion of Food Diversification (PFD) on the nutritional status of children aged 0 to 59 months was evaluated. Anthropometric data (weight, height, age) in children aged 0 to 59 months and dietary data (consumption of salt with iodine, source of drinking water, the practice of hand washing, frequency and quality of meals served to children aged 6 to 59 months) was collected in the households of beneficiary women. This data was collected from 2019 to 2020 (considered as the period before PFD) and from 2021 to 2023 (considered as the period after PFD) through home visits, quarterly screening sessions, and monitoring and promotion of growth and stimulation and awakening of children from 0 to 23 months on a monthly basis. Significant differences through the analysis of variance were carried out at the 5% threshold according to the Student Newman-Keuls test. It showed from this study that after the PFD, a majority of households practice hand washing (85.12%), use a source of drinking water (80.39%), serve children more than three meals (58.3%) containing the three food groups (97.52%) per day but consumed poor salt in iodine in a proportion of 70.4%. The study also revealed that PFD significantly contributes to reducing the prevalence of all forms of malnutrition among children aged 6 to 59 months (from 3.52% to 1.59% for severely underweight, from 3.34% to 1.97% for severe wasting, and from 7.18% to 3.93% for severe stunting). On the other hand, PFD does not contribute to reducing the prevalence of severe underweight in children aged to 0 to 5 months (from 4.85% to 11.97%). The promotion of Food Diversification stands out as an important activity recommended for food and nutrition projects/programs in the fight against malnutrition in all its forms.

ASSESSMENT OF THE AWARENESS LEVEL ABOUT GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL SCHEMES AMONG WOMEN BENEFICIARIES IN GOA

Women are an integral part of every economy. A nation’s growth also depends on the overall growth and development of women. The Government of India together with the State Governments is trying to empower the women through various schemes so that they become economically independent. These schemes have played very important role in reducing the vulnerability of poor women, through asset creation, income generation and provision of emergency assistance. However, the success of these schemes is determined by their reach. If the needy women are not aware of the schemes, then it would limit the number of beneficiaries of such schemes and the very purpose of such schemes would not be achieved. The schemes selected for the study were Griha Aadhar Scheme, Mamta Scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana and Ladli Laxmi Scheme. The main objective of the study is to know the impact of demographic variables on the awareness level of schemes among women beneficiaries and to know the socio-economic impact of the schemes. Snowball method of sampling was used to select a sample of 220 women beneficiaries for the study. The data was analysed using statistical tools like mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, paired t-test, Chi-square and ANOVA. It was concluded that moderate level of empowerment was found among women beneficiaries. It was also seen that there was significant relationship between education level, place of residence and the level of awareness among beneficiaries.

THE IMPACT OF MICRO FINANCE SERVICES ON WOMEN'S ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT; EVIDENCE FROM KURUNEGALA DISTRICT IN SRI LANKA

Women's economic empowerment has become one of the most pressing concerns in the world as empowering women economically, can make a significant contribution to the expansion of the economy and their immediate families to maintain a sustainable way of life. The concept of microfinance has developed as a tool to obtain both financial and non-financial support for poor people's self-empowerment. Women who come from low-income families are given the ability to make a valuable contribution to the economy through the use of microfinance. In the Sri Lankan context, female labor force participation is comparatively at a lower level, and thus more women are economically inactive. Therefore, microfinance services are vital to low-income women in both rural and urban areas. Due to the vitality of this aspect, this research aims to examine the impact of microcredit, micro saving, financial training, and advisory services on women's economic empowerment in Sri Lanka. The population used in this research is microfinance women beneficiaries in Kurunegala District, and the researcher selected 380 microfinance women beneficiaries as the sample size of this study using random sampling technique. Data collection was conducted using structured, self-administered, web-based questionnaires and personal interviews, where the data set was analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis. The results of this research show that microcredit, micro savings, financial training, and advisory services significantly and positively impact women's economic empowerment. Accordingly, the researcher recommends microfinance institutions to increase the granting of microcredit facilities to poor women in the Kurunagala district, as these institutions have given less loan amounts than applied. Also, it is recommended to reduce interest rates and increase payback periods, as high interest rates are an additional burden on the customers. Furthermore, the government should pay more attention to these low-income women and conduct some programs to improve their knowledge and careers. Meanwhile, microfinance institutions should improve their management capacity and strive to reach out to women in need to enhance their economic empowerment and improve their contribution to the workforce and economy.

Influence of Advisory Services on the Growth of Women Entrepreneurship in Rubirizi District, Uganda

The participation of women in the economic development of many nations has been vital. Their role in the economy has been addressed in many international, regional and national development goals, including Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Consequently, many nations have initiated and supported entrepreneurial activities meant to uplift the status of women to move out of poverty (SDG1), attain gender parity(SDG 5) and reduce inequality (SDG10) in the economic possessions. In Uganda, this agenda is being implemented by Village Savings and Loan Association Services (VSLAs), among other initiatives. Despite these strategies, women in Uganda continue to languish in poverty. Most of their businesses collapse at infancy leaving many women economically hopeless more so in rural areas. This study therefore sought to assess the influence of advisory services on the growth of women entrepreneurship in Rubirizi District in Uganda. The study specifically sought to examine the extent to which advisory services influence growth of women entrepreneurship in Rubirizi District of Uganda. The study was anchored on a Resource Based Theory. The study adopted a quantitative approach while a descriptive research design was used to describe the respondents’ opinions numerically in statistical terms. The target population constituted 3720 participants from which a sample size of 361 was selected using Sloven formula. Primary data was collected using structured questionnaires framed on a Likert scale 1-5. Respondents were selected randomly using stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Quantitative data was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics analysed the responses obtained from the research questions while inferential statistics showed the influence of the independent variables on the dependent variable. The null hypothesis was tested at 0.05 significance level. The analysed data was displayed by use of suitable frequency distribution tables. The results showed that advisory services are statistically significant on growth of women entrepreneurship (t=9.118, P=.000, P<.05). The study concluded that there is a strong positive significant relationship between advisory services offered to women beneficiaries of VSLAs and growth of women entrepreneurship. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Advisory Services, Growth, Village Savings, Loan Associations

Women and Invisible Boundaries: A Case of Slippage in Sanitation in Two Gram Panchayats, Shravasti, UP, India

ABSTRACT Sustainable management of water and sanitation is inextricably linked with women’s health and well-being. This paper investigates slippage in sanitation, experienced by women beneficiaries of the Swacch Bharat Mission Rural programme through Amartya Sen’s conception of justice. A total of 135 individuals were interviewed from 49 households in Kanjadwa and Madhnagar Manoharpur Gram Panchayats, Shravasti, India, out of which 90 were women. As per findings, 30% of women practice open defaecation despite possessing toilets, resulting in slippage. The Sanitation Well-being framework is deployed to study slippage and its linkage with women’s agency. Personal, cultural, and structural factors contributing to this are child marriage, denial of education and employment opportunities, slut shaming, victim blaming, domestic violence, and character assassination. These are made worse by the state adoption of misogynistic IEC messages that reinforce cultural stereotypes and worsen women's condition. In the quest to attain ODF status in Ikauna Block, UP, the current sanitation programme became a tool of suppression. Consequently, we understand that open defaecation among women is an outcome of the basic unfreedoms rather than a volitional choice that prevents them from experiencing sanitation well-being.

دور الصندوق الاجتماعي للتنمية في تعزيز المهارات الحياتية لدى الأسر الريفية في اليمن: دراسة حالة مديرية جبل الشرق انس ذمار

This study aimed to investigate the role of the Social Fund for Development (SFD) in promoting life skills for rural families in Yemen. The study focused on a case study of the rural community of Ans District in Thamar Governorate, specifically the Conditional Cash Transfer Program for Nutrition (CCTPN). The study used a descriptive survey approach and applied a questionnaire to a sample of 150 women beneficiaries of the CCTPN. It was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found that the CCTPN had a significant impact on enhancing life skills among the beneficiaries, particularly in the areas of health and nutrition. The study also found that the CCTPN had improved some living conditions that were almost non-existent before the project's intervention. The study showed many negative aspects that impedes the enhancement of life skills, the most prominent of which is that illiteracy is widespread in the rural community, which is a serious threat and a major obstacle to economic and development that should be given significant attention by the relevant authorities.

Revisiting Entrepreneurship as Emancipation: Learning from subalternized women in post-revolutionary Tunisia

In this article, we investigate how women beneficiaries in a social enterprise in post-revolutionary Tunisia are agents in their emancipation, including through infrapolitical tactics. We conceptualize their position as beneficiaries as a form of subalternity induced from social, economic and political injustice. We deploy the extended case method in a Tunisian ecotourism social enterprise, connecting the micro-level experiences of the women beneficiaries to the macro-level context. Our findings show how beneficiaries engage in three forms of emancipation: affirming their dreams; navigating gender relations; and defending their interests. We thus contribute to existing research by theoretically extending the emancipation–entrepreneurship locus beyond the lead entrepreneur. We also contribute by extending our understanding of subalternized people’s resistance repertoire beyond the hidden vs public resistance dichotomy. Finally, we challenge the representation of ‘subalterns’ as a homogeneous and passive category by showing the intersectional differences that affect these women’s agentic possibilities and, thus, their pathways to emancipation.

Maternal and child nutrition services associated with nutritional knowledge and practices, India.

To evaluate whether maternal and child nutrition activities provided through the Indian Integrated Child Development Services scheme in India were associated with improved nutritional knowledge and practices among beneficiary women. We used a multistage sampling design to randomly select 4400 pregnant women or mothers of children younger than 2years for a cross-sectional telephone survey. The respondents were beneficiaries of the scheme from across 11 Indian states. We used multivariate regression models controlling for sociodemographic factors to estimate the association between: scheme activities and nutrition messages heard; and scheme activities and nutrition practices. We also estimated the proportion of the total association with nutrition practices which was mediated by nutrition messages. Among 110 regression models testing unique pairs of seven activities and 18 nutrition messages, 103 showed a statistically significant positive relationship (median risk ratio, RR: 1.14). For activities and nine nutrition practices, 39 out of 54 tested pairs were significantly associated (median RR: 1.16). We observed statistically significant mediation through nutrition messages for 28 out of 42 tested pairs of activities and nutrition practices. Receipt of the scheme's activities was associated with improved nutrition knowledge and practices. Improvements in practices were statistically mediated by improvements in knowledge. These findings suggest that a large-scale nutrition scheme with a strong counselling component could successfully change beneficiary behaviours.

An Analysis of Direct Changes by MGNREGS on the livelihoods of Dalit Women Beneficiaries in Northern Districts of Tamil Nadu

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is one of the largest social security scheme implemented in the world to ensure food and livelihood security to the marginalized sections of our country. The main objective of this scheme is to provide employment for a minimum of 100 days in a year to every family member willing to do unskilled manual labor in rural areas. The direct changes brought out by MGNREGS on the livelihoods of dalit women beneficiaries was found to be medium in this study. With regard to componentwise direct changes, medium level on total number of man days in a year, two persons being employed in a family, more than seven hours of daily working hours, daily wage rate of Rs. 200-Rs.300, with a medium level of migration after their participation in MGNREGA was reported in this study. Our policy planners at the national and state level, district administrators at the regional level and extension professionals at all levels need to be involved in strengthening this welfare scheme to achieve it’s desired objectives.

Dietary self-perception by women beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

Dietary self-perception by women beneficiaries of the Bolsa Família Program in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil

Upotreba foto-elicitacije u sociologiji

In sociological research, photography is most commonly used to supplement presented data and less frequently as a data collection technique. This paper focuses on using photography to examine the gender aspect of poverty in rural areas of Serbia. Through the application of photo-elicitation, data were collected in field research during 2015 in Serbia. The data include photographs taken by girls and women beneficiaries of social services. Additionally, they incorporate the notes on the motives and interpretation of the photographs taken, along with transcripts of interviews conducted with the photographers a month after the photography sessions. The research has shown that photography, as a medium, connects the emotional experiences of poverty among research participants with the factual conditions of their lives in material deprivation and isolation. Consequently, it offers the possibility of articulating diverse meanings of poverty. The diversity of meanings of poverty is evident in the specific social categories to which the interviewees in this study belong, such as persons with disabilities, for example. Based on the findings of this research, the use of photo-elicitation emerges as particularly significant in sociological studies that involve the exploration of subjective meanings and experiences of specific population groups, such as girls and women living in poverty in rural areas of Serbia.

Economic Empowerment of Women Through Productive Zakat (Analysis of Women’s Entrepreneurship Funding Programs at Rumah Zakat)

The analysis report of the National Fiscal Policy Agency for December 2022 stated, currently, women in Indonesia will make up around 49.2 percent of the total population in Indonesia in 2021. 53.6 percent of them are of productive age. Meanwhile, women's access to financing from formal financial institutions for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) owned by women is currently only around 27 percent. So we need another alternative to providing business opportunities for women. Indonesia Zakat Outlook 2021 mentioned the potential for zakat to reach IDR 327.6 trillion. Therefore, the distribution of zakat has the potential to support the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment if managed properly. LAZNAS Rumah Zakat, since 2019, has had a female entrepreneur fund the program through productive zakat. Therefore, it is interesting to study the mechanisms and impacts of the utilization of zakat on female beneficiaries. The research that researchers will do uses qualitative research methods that use primary sources in the form of final program reports from Rumah Zakat. The results of the research show that, through the women's entrepreneurship funding program, which consists of cash assistance and technical assistance, it has a positive impact on beneficiary women, especially technical assistance, which has proven to be able to increase the number of unpaid workers with lots of family participation. In addition, this program has been proven to increase the profits of the majority of entrepreneurs. So that the ideals of productive zakat are the long-term welfare of beneficiary women, turning them into muzakki has great potential to be achieved through the Women's Entrepreneurial Funding program by Rumah Zakat.

Energy, gender and development: the impact of energy efficient cookstoves intervention on the welfare of women in Ethiopia

PurposeThe use of energy efficient cookstoves (EECS) has been promoted for a long and considered as instrumental in the efforts to mitigate the multiple social, economic and environmental consequences of traditional biomass cookstoves. Despite this, the adoption of EECS in pre-urban and rural Ethiopia is still very low. In response to this, the government of Ethiopia, in collaboration with international development organizations, implemented numerous initiatives aimed at improving the availability and use of EECS as part of the effort to support sustainable development. However, very little is known about the impact of the introduced EECS on improving the welfare of women. The purpose of this study is, therefore, to assess the impact of improved cookstoves projects on the welfare of women in Yaya Gullele district, Ethiopia.Design/methodology/approachA mixed research design was adopted to conduct the study. The quantitative data for the study were collected using a structured questionnaire by interviewing 388 randomly selected respondents. The data were analysed using both descriptive and inferential data analysis techniques, including the propensity score matching model using STATA.FindingsResults of the study revealed that adoption of EECS has reduced fuel wood expense (124.65 Ethiopian Birr [ETB]/week), reduced five-year stove expense (404.67 ETB) and increased regular savings (116.58 ETB/month), which contributed for an increased annual income of participants (5,594.42 ETB). The result of the study also indicated that the use of EECS enabled the beneficiary women to reduce the amount of fuel wood use by 29.4 kg/week, which in turn reduced forest degradation and emission by 2.34 tons of CO2e/year/household. Besides, it reduced the drudgery on women in terms of reduced time to cook (53 min/day), reduced time to collect fuelwood and prepare food (3.95 h/week) and reduced frequency of fuelwood collection trips (3.42 trips/week). The study results, in general, indicated that the adoption of EECS improved the welfare of women in the study area, where the majority of women have been suffering from the burden of using traditional stoves and associated impacts for a long.Practical implicationsEnergy is central to most of the development-related challenges and opportunities every country faces today. The result of the study implied that policies and strategies intended at improving the availability and use of EECS as part of the effort to support sustainable development need to consider integrating such context-referenced, locally manageable and affordable EECS into the clean developmental strategies of the country.Originality/valueInsights from this study can support development practitioners and policymakers to make informed decisions regarding future interventions in the use of energy efficient that have the potential to several economic, social and environmental positive development outcomes.

Contextual factors for understanding the heterogeneity of outcomes of a policy of exemption from payment for care in Chad

Chad has one of the highest maternal and infant mortality rates in the world. Efforts to reduce these rates have led to the introduction of fee exemption and community involvement initiatives to further encourage the use of health services. Despite the introduction of these initiatives, inequalities in access to and use of health facilities persist. The aim of this study is to understand why and how the same action, implemented in a quasi-homogeneous way, produced contrasting results in different health centers. A multiple, contrasting case study was used to analyze the outcomes of pediatrics consultations and deliveries in four health centers in the Bénoye and Beinamar districts. Data were collected through individual interviews (n=26) and focus groups (n=22) with women beneficiaries, community health workers, and health care providers. The qualitative software QDA Miner was used to process the data. The study revealed that the organizational and managerial capacities of the providers and community actors would explain the heterogeneity of the results observed. Contextual factors such as the remoteness of services or the impassability and dangerousness of roads accentuated the disparities in the results observed. The results of this study show that human and contextual factors would explain the heterogeneity of the observed effects.

Does maternal health voucher scheme have association with distance inequality in maternal and newborn care utilization? Evidence from rural Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has made substantial progress in maternal health. However, persistent inequities in service use undermine the achievements at the national level. In 2007, the government introduced a Maternal Health Voucher Scheme (MHVS) to reduce barriers to service utilization. The current study explores the impact of MHVS on reducing distance inequality in utilization across the maternal and newborn continuum of care (MNCoC). A cross-sectional survey was conducted from October'2017 to April'2018 in four selected MHVS sub-districts of Chattogram and Sylhet Divisions of Bangladesh. 2,400 women with at-least one child aged below two years were randomly selected. Both bivariate and multivariate analyses were carried out to explore the absolute and relative influence of the voucher scheme and chi-square test was used for hypothesis testing. Nineteen percent of the women were MHVS beneficiaries and 23% of them lived within 5 km of the health facility. Among the beneficiaries no significant differences were observed in the utilization of at-least 4 antenatal visits, skilled-assistance at delivery, postnatal care, and MNCoC between those living closer to the health facility and those living far away. However, a higher facility delivery rate was observed among beneficiary women living closer. By contrast, for non-beneficiaries, a significant difference was found in service use between women living closer to health facilities compared to those living further away. The study found the use of MNCoC to be similar for all MHVS beneficiaries irrespective of their distance to health facilities whereas non-beneficiary women living further away had lower utilization rates. MHVS could have potentially reduced distance-related inequality for its beneficiaries. However, despite the provision of transport incentives under MHVS the reduction in inequality in facility delivery was limited. We propose a revision of the transportation incentive adjusting for distance, geographical remoteness, road condition, and transport cost to enhance the impact of MHVS.

Gender Gap in Food Security and Nutrition: Special Case of India in the G20

The sustainability of food security and adequate nutrition is a global challenge. The G20 nations, representing two-thirds of the global population bear half of the world’s malnutrition burden in the form of either excessive or inadequate intake of nutrition. The general risks associated with food insecurity in terms of climate change, ecology and resource contraction vis-à-vis population are macro issues involving the global commons. This article which relates to the micro issue of the gender gap in household food security is based on public data and international indices on the status of food security and the gender gap. The study indicates the presence of a gender gap in nutrition for reasons more socio-cultural, than economic. The study is focused on G20 nations, especially India as it bears the largest burden of nutrition-related disease within the G20. Data from the Global Hunger Index and the Global Gender Gap Index of 2022 has portrayed India as a dismal performer despite the fact that India runs the largest public food security programme that has targeted nutrition programs for women beneficiaries. The present article identifies the common challenges faced by the G20 nations in the realm of food security and the steps taken for mitigation. The article also examines cooperation within G20 in realising the Sustainable Development Goals related to ending hunger and realising gender equity in food.

Contribution of Rural Development Programs in Empowerment of Tribal Women: A Case Study

Empowerment of tribal women is critical for inclusive development of tribal communities. This study aims to analyze the contribution of rural development programs in empowering tribal women in Dhalbhumgarh, Jharkhand. The research involved a survey of 200 tribal women beneficiaries of programs, focused group discussions, and interviews with stakeholders. The study assessed the impact on social, economic, and political empowerment parameters. Key findings show limited outreach and utilization of programs by tribal women. The programs have moderately improved education, health, and livelihoods. However, impact on reducing gender disparities, improving participation in governance, and addressing systemic discrimination is inadequate. Patriarchal norms, lack of awareness and mobility, poor program quality and targeting are key challenges. The study recommends redesigning programs to suit local context, greater investment, participatory planning, and sensitization of tribal communities to achieve holistic empowerment.