Abstract
Assessments of the impact of microcredit targeted towards women have tended to focus on evaluating whether women have become 'more empowered', rather than on the dynamics of gender relations in which they are embedded. This paper reports evidence from Malawi that shows how aspects of gender relations, both within the household and more widely, both facilitate and constrain the impact of microcredit. The failure to address and incorporate analysis of gender into microfinance practice over the past decade means that opportunities have been lost to enhance its empowerment impact. However, such failure is also symptomatic of the huge difficulties in getting gender onto the agenda of development organisations in general. The paper concludes by suggesting that the new interest in client-led microfinance presents an opportunity that must now be seized to make these programmes more gender-responsive by also appealing to microfinance institutions' financial bottom line.
Les études des impacts du micro-credit ciblant les femmes ont eu tendance a evaluer si ces dernières voient leur pouvoir s'accroitre, plutot qu'a evaluer les dynamiques des relations de genre dans lesquelles elles sont impliquées. Cet article s'appuie sur des témoignages provenant du Malawi qui demontrent comment, tant a l'interieur du menage que plus globalement, les relations de genre a la fois facilitent et limitent les impacts du microcrédit. Cet éechec á adresser ou á incorporer une analyse genre dans les pratiques de microfinance au cours de la dernière décennie, signifie que des opportunités d'accroitre les effets de l'appropriation ont été manquées. Toutefois, cet échec est également symptomatique des immenses difficultes a mettre la dimension genre a l'agenda des organisations de développement. Cet article conclut en suggerant que le nouvel intérêt pour la micro-finance orientée client, incarne une opportunité á saisir afin de rendre ces programmes plus réceptifs á la dimension genre mais egalement plus intéressants pour les institutions financieres de microfinance de base.
Similar content being viewed by others
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Johnson, S. Gender Relations, Empowerment and Microcredit: Moving on from a Lost Decade. Eur J Dev Res 17, 224–248 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1080/09578810500130831
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09578810500130831