Microfinance and Promotion of Gender Equality for the Diversity of Women: A Comparative Case Study Analysis

Abstract

Microfinance is a popular poverty alleviation strategy. Donors target women, claiming to promote gender equality while reducing poverty. Studies report positive and negative evaluations, including in relation to women's equitable access to credit and gendered violence. Further investigation highlights the diversity of women, suggesting, for instance, that poor women may be excluded from microfinance programs, while younger, married women may be more vulnerable to gendered violence upon accessing microfinance than are other women. This suggests that women with different age, marital status and other categories access microfinance, with some women being particularly vulnerable to certain forms of oppression. This study therefore aims to explore how programs have sought to promote gender equality and address oppression for diverse women through investigating distinct theoretical perspectives on conceptualisations of gender equality within programs, specifically liberal feminist, radical feminist and postmodern feminist perspectives. This study contributes to theoretical debates by exploring how strategies - equal opportunity (liberal feminist), positive action (radical feminist) and intersectionality (postmodern feminist) - affect gender equality for diverse women. Adopting a qualitative approach, a comparative case study analysis was undertaken of two non-governmental organisation (NGO) programs in Kerala and Gujarat in India, that utilised different approaches: top-down and bottom-up, respectively. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with women program participants and NGO staff, document analysis and non-participant observation. This exploration affirmed that a mixture of feminist perspectives was important in promoting gender equality. In particular, however, this study suggested that the postmodern feminist perspective, through an intersectionality approach, provided a distinct contribution. An intersectionality approach involved referring to women's categories, including caste and religion, to generate knowledge on forms of oppression, with intersecting categories suggesting particular forms of oppression. Such knowledge was critical in the formulation of program objectives and tailored strategies to promote gender equality for diverse women. This investigation indicated that a bottom-up approach was important in meeting the needs of diverse women and argues for redirection of funding towards implementers utilising bottom-up approaches.