WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT THROUGH MICROCREDIT: A CASE STUDY OF DISTRICT GUJRAT, PAKISTAN

Present study was conducted in District Gujrat to investigate the impact of the microcredit scheme of Punjab Rural Support Program (PRSP) on women’s empowerment. Researches throughout the developing world have highlighted the impact of microcredit programs on women’s empowerment. Present research was divided into three main sections. First section deals with the status of women at housed level before taking microcredit while second and third sections deal with the impact of microcredit in raising women’s awareness and women’s empowerment after taking microcredit. In the second section information was analyzed that whether microcredit increased the awareness among women regarding their status, legal rights and importance of say at household level. In the last section a situational analysis of the women after taking microcredit is presented. The data analysis has shown that there is a positive impact of microcredit program introduced by PRSP in the rural Gujrat on women’s empowerment.