My economics thesis studied women borrowers of Nirdhan Utthan Laghubitta in Kanakai Municipality. I wanted to know whether access to microfinance changed their income and their say in household decisions.
The short answer: some things improved, some did not. Access to small loans helped women earn and manage money, but it did not always shift who made the big household decisions.
I collected primary data from women borrowers and checked it against institutional records. The full findings are in the thesis. I plan to write more here about what microfinance can and cannot do for women's economic position.
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