Women Empowerment and Social Development in Afghanistan through Micro Finance

Abstract

Micro finance is used to support individual and small businesses across the globe. This research is conducted to investigate the impact of micro finance on women empowerment (participation rate, mobility, freedom of expression of thoughts, and decision making approach towards flexible life) and social development (social status and living standards) in Afghanistan. For accomplishment of research objective, data was collected from 110 respondents (home based and non-home based individual/businesswomen) in Jalalabad, Laghman, Kunar, Kama, Khogyani, and Kot, Afghanistan through structured open and closed ended questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested by deploying multiple linear regression model. Data was analyzed through SPSS version 22. Data reliability was checked through Cronbach's Alpha test. The outcomes indicated that micro financing have positive impact on women empowerment and social development. The outcomes documented that micro financing is a significant tool that maximize women empowerment in all dimensions. Furthermore, micro financing enhance social development of women. Micro finance is a significant element of financial institution that instill women confidence in decision making: both in domestic activities and in business & social activities that further leads to economic contributions in support of families which is considered as a step towards prosperity. This research is useful for the government and policy makers of Afghanistan as it documents the importance of micro financing in empowering women and social development.