Does credit play a negative role in Bangladesh? Why?
Answers
Answer:
No
Explanation:
Gender relations are deeply embedded in the Bangladeshi society. Therefore, changing gender relations is difficult and requires a long-term process. Empowerment of women, as a framework indicator for assessing gender empowerment, impact of credit, may be an ideal one as a theoretical yardstick. However, there has been an exaggeration of gender empowerment impact of credit. In practice credit provision is a step on the long road of empowering poor rural women. The credit schemes of the Micro Finance Institutions (MFls) are not a panacea to women's empowerment in Bangladesh. MFIs alone cannot bring the required change in the society to empower women, rather all other sectors including GOs and NGOs have to bring changes in all their policies to create a suitable enabling environment to reverse the age old gender related societal systems.