HE IMPACT OF SAVINGS GROUPS ON FEMALE AGENCY: INSIGHTS FROM VILLAGE SAVINGS AND LOANS ASSOCIATIONS IN NORTHERN GHANA
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Date
2019
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Springer
Abstract
In this paper we examined how participation in savings groups like
the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) influence
women’s agency in rural Ghana, i.e. their ability to freely
participate in group activities and act on other issues and matters
that affect them. Both quantitative and qualitative data were
collected from VSLA and nonVSLA members to compare the effect
between participants and nonparticipants. We used three
dimensions of agency adapted from the Women's Empowerment in
Agriculture Index (WEAI) to assess female agency: women’s
participation and decision making in groups; women’s comfort with
public speaking; and women’s decision making in their households.
A significant finding of this study is that VSLA membership has
enhanced the agency of female participants as they are more
economically and socially active and can act on their own compared
to women who did not use the savings group.
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Citation
Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development Volume 9, Issue 2 (2019): 133-146