Title: Understanding impact of microcredit on socio-economic status of women micro-entrepreneurs

Authors: Nivedita T. Dwivedi; Amit Kumar Dwivedi

Addresses: Swarnim Start-up and Innovation University, Koba-Adalaj Road, Kalol, Dist. Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382421, India ' Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), P.O. Bhat, Via Indira Bridge and Ahmedabad Airport, Dist. Gandhinagar, 382-428, Gujarat, India

Abstract: Microcredit is a small ticket loan provided by microfinance institutions for starting enterprise to the poor people. The study is conducted on those women beneficiaries who are the member of self-help groups (SHGs) and had taken microcredit and took entrepreneurial ways of livelihood and run a micro-enterprise in their localities. The findings of the study conclude that: 1) after becoming economically empowered, women's socio-economic status in the society as well as in her family have improved substantially and there is positive change observed in her personality also; 2) significant number of women micropreneurs fall in the age group of 31 to 40 participate in decision-making regarding family; 3) the women microcredit beneficiaries contribute too appropriately in their family's income; 4) women become responsible for microcredit, for repayments, for maintaining saving accounts and after bearing these responsibilities, women gain confidence to take charge of their lives and the lives around them; 5) microcredit is an empowerment tool for women who take-up entrepreneurial career.

Keywords: women micro-entrepreneurs; empowerment; microcredit; self-help groups; SHGs; socio-economic status.

DOI: 10.1504/IJBG.2022.122668

International Journal of Business and Globalisation, 2022 Vol.30 No.2, pp.262 - 278

Accepted: 10 Jul 2019
Published online: 05 May 2022 *

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