Silavwe, Tughaniwe and Nkhoma, Pearson. 2025. 'Challenging Patriarchy through Credit: Assessing Microfinance’s Role in Women Empowerment and Rural Development in Malawi'. In: The 87th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Salt Lake City, United States 30 July - 2 August 2025. [Conference or Workshop Item] (Forthcoming)

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Abstract or Description

This paper explores the role of microfinance as a tool for economic empowerment and rural development. It draws on the subjective experiences of 20 women in rural Malawi, diving into their empowerment journey and the consequential changes in their status or roles decision-making processes within their homes and communities, particularly in a predominantly patriarchal context. The paper places emphasis on the dilemmas women face while navigating patriarchal systems in their pursuit of an independent and empowered life. For a nuanced understanding on the role of microfinance in women empowerment and rural development, the paper leeps into how these women conceptualise empowerment and make sense of their own roles within their households, especially in relation to their husbands, who are commonly regarded as the family head, primary breadwinner, or chief decision-maker. The primary objective is to ascertain how microfinance fuels women's empowerment and active participation in decision-making processes within their communities; or whether it merely allows for a negotiation of status and power in a context where patriarchy resists change. Through this exploration, the study elucidates the complex nature of women's empowerment and a myriad of factors within a multifaceted landscape underscoring women's empowerment and rural development.

Item Type:	Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)
Keywords:	Gender, Microfinance, Malawi, Intersectionality, patriarchy, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Related URLs:	https://www.ruralsociology.org/annual-me...
Departments, Centres and Research Units:	Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS) Social, Therapeutic & Community Engagement (STaCS) > Centre for Community Engagement Research
Dates:	Date Event 11 December 2024 Submitted 2 May 2025 Accepted 2 August 2025 Completed
Event Location:	Salt Lake City, United States
Date range:	30 July - 2 August 2025
Item ID:	38852
Date Deposited:	22 May 2025 16:30
Last Modified:	22 May 2025 16:30
URI:	https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/38852

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