Micro Finance and Women

In India, micro finance is a policy instrument to promote economic development, employment, and growth, through the support of micro entrepreneurs and small businesses. The objective is for poor and near-poor households to have permanent access to an appropriate range of high quality financial services, including credit, savings, insurance, and fund transfers. Several factors have led to an increased interest in micro finance in promoting growth with gender equity. Women as a whole have been left behind and have not been able to partake in the fruits of success. The mainstreaming of women into new and emerging areas of growth is imperative. This will require the encouragement of women to take up vocational training and employment in India's booming sectors. Small enterprises are the best vehicle for stimulating entrepreneurial talent and participation of women in the development process. Small enterprises provide livelihood, check rural-urban migration, generate export earnings, as well as touch upon the lives of the marginalized, disadvantaged, and vulnerable women in both urban and rural areas. This book contains research papers, authored by experts in the field of finance, which provide empirical evidence of the role of micro finance in economically empowering women in India, particularly in rural areas. [Subject: India Studies, Sociology, Women's Studies, Economics, Labor Studies]