MICROCREDIT, WOMEN EMPOWERMENT AND HOUSEHOLD DECISION MAKING: A STUDY

Abstract

This study's primary objective was to evaluate how the microcredit programme affected the empowerment of women and their ability to make household decisions among low-income urban women in Krishnagiri District. According to the findings of this study, microcredit is still an important tool to encourage women's empowerment in a variety of domains, which include their role in households decision-making regarding stability in their finances, control over resources and choices regarding family, mobility, and legal awareness. As a result, authorities should reconsider the role of the informal, based on group’s microcredit sector and propose new policies that promote the growth of informal finance. The study's conclusions showed that in the urban Krishnagiri District, the microcredit programme had a good and significant influence on women's empowerment and household decision-making. The findings suggest that Krishnagiri District concentrate on increasing its reach by concentrating on urban low-income women. Focusing on developing a supportive regulatory environment will help all microcredit institutions in the Krishnagiri District develop over the long run.