The Role of Microcredit Program on Women Empowerment: Empirical Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

The empowerment of women is the burning issues in developing countries. This study examined the impact of micro-credit on the empowerment of rural women in Bangladesh. A total of 120 respondents were selected as sample using stratified random sampling technique on Tuker bazar Union Parishad under Sylhet Sadar Upazilla in Sylhet district, Bangladesh and data was collected through face to face interview by using survey method. The women empowerment was measured by five dimensions .These dimension were (1) economic decision making, (2) household decision making,(3) freedom of physical movement, (4) ownership of property,(5) political and social awareness. OLS (Ordinary Least Squares) regression was applied to understand the effects of microcredit program on each dimension of women empowerment and aggregate women empowerment. The results showed that microcredit program was positively associated with each dimension of women empowerment as well as aggregate measure of Empowerment. So, this study reveals that microcredit program improves the women empowerment in Bangladesh. Keywords: Microcredit, Empowerment, Effects, Rural Women, Bangladesh