Microfinance, Gender, and Development: Women’s Entrepreneurship in Pakistan

Abstract

In Pakistan, the entrepreneurial undertakings of women, and women in business, is in large part, a consequence of ineffective access to financial services, and the socially constructed inequities that marry the patriarchy to entrepreneurial capitalism. Statistically, women constitute nearly half of the populace, rest of the region is South Asia rules. Microfinance offers an economically empowering, and socially transformative approach to the financial exclusion of women. This research analyzes, within the context of Pakistan, the literature and case studies of women owned businesses to understand the relationship between microfinance and women entrepreneurship. It is shown that microfinance institutions, NGOs or government programs engage in disbursing surplus unsecured loans coupled with group lending. These loans thus enable women to start and develop small businesses for microfinance clients. Women who have access to these programs tend to have better income, social prestige, more decision-making power in the household, and mobility. Captured in MFA, however, are the many grave challenges, such as over-indebtedness, lack of digital reproductive technologies, lack of cultural empires for the women, lack of business management skills, and control. These challenges inhibit the proper and full attainment of the freedom outcomes. Empowerment outcomes in microfinance programs, as in many developing states, are often neglected. In those cases, access to finance is a prerequisite. However sensitive it may be, relevant skills of training, ecosystem digital access, and inadequate digital technologies, institutional support are primary. The author is claiming that microfinance in Pakistan as a developmental approach is only useful when it is combined with building policies other than structural and The other related policies are focused on capacity-building, gender sensitive policies and policy frameworks.