GENDER INTERESTS AND FINANCIAL INCLUSION: A FEMINIST ANALYSIS ON THE RURAL WOMEN OF BARPETA DISTRICT

This paper is an extensive review of literature about the gender interests of women and financial inclusion. Gender interests are long-term strategies which affect the socio-economic development of women. These are interests which have developed due to women's subordinate status in the society. Women as a strategic gender have different roles in the society but are discriminated based on their gender roles. Women's access to bank accounts, finances and credit facilities have also suffered discrimination. Women also have been kept away from the formal financial system and this has been responsible for high levels of poverty among women as compared to men. Financial inclusion as a world-wide policy has been trying to bring in more and more women into the financial system. But the policy lacks a gendered approach. The policy must be critically analysed to understand how it has improved women's lives as a strategic gender interest