Intro; Preface; Acknowledgements; Contents; List of Figures; List of Tables; Chapter 1 Prologue; Abstract; Growth of NGOs in Bangladesh; Microcredit and Microfinance; Power, Power Relation and Empowerment; The Research Terrain; Auto Ethnographic Frame; Outline of the Book; References; Chapter 2 Microfinance: It's Globalization Story; Abstract; Evolution of Microfinance in Bangladesh; Grameen Bank Model; Globalization of Microfinance; References; Chapter 3 The Paradox of Microfinance and Women's Empowerment; Abstract; Microfinance and Women's Empowerment Debate; Positive Arguments
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Chapter 6 Microfinance and Women's Socio Cultural and Political EmpowermentAbstract; Microfinance and Women's Participation in Decision Making; Who Decides What? How?; Narrative 1: Participation in Decision Making; Narrative 2: Woman's Decision-Making Agency; Narrative 3: Decision Making Within and Beyond Household Matters; Microfinance and Domestic Violence; Narrative 4: Over Indebtedness Leads to Violence; Narrative 5: Multiple Borrowing Caused Negative Impact on Gender Relations; Early Marriage, Dowries and Women; Women's Political Empowerment
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Contemporary Positive Arguments from Global PerspectiveIn the Context of Bangladesh; Counter Arguments: International Perspective; In Bangladesh's Perspective; References; Chapter 4 Impact of Microfinance on Women's Economic Empowerment; Abstract; Who Has Access to What Type of Employment?; Who Controls the Loan? How?; Narrative 1: Woman Exercising Power on Loan Utilization; Narrative 2: Having Good Control Over Loan Use; Narrative 3: Access to and Control Over Resources; Narrative 4: Having Power to Decide How the Income Will Be Spent; Who Has Power in Earning and Spending? How?
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Narrative 5: Let There Be LightWomen and Reproductive Work; Chapter 5 From Individual to Community Empowerment; Abstract; Link Between Individual and Community; Narrative 1: Assistance from Group Networks; Narrative 2: Using Group Network; Narrative 3: Use of Intra and Extra Community Linkages; Empowerment Through Collective Social Action; Collective Action to Fight Early Marriage; Mobilizing in Response to Drug Addiction; Group Effort and the Collective Power to Protest Against Violence; Actions Against Dowry Related Violence; References
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Narrative 6: Empowerment in Local Government or Status Quo?Narrative 7: Dependency on Male UP Members; Narrative 8: Dependency on Husbands and Exclusion from Important Committees; Narrative 9: Woman's Political Empowerment; References; Chapter 7 Lessons from New Narratives; Abstract; Microfinance and Women's Empowerment: Current Constraints; Conclusion; References; Index
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SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
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This book examines the effects of policies and practices of microfinance NGOs in empowering rural women in Bangladesh. Nawaz seeks to unpack the untold narratives of women's empowerment and to fill the current knowledge gap in this area. The book goes beyond the narrow minimalist evaluation of microfinance that only focuses on women's economic empowerment through their ability to access financial resources. Rather, it looks at whether and how microfinance empowers women in a holistic manner across the socio-cultural, psychological and political spheres of life. The author argues that microfinance reduces levels of poverty, which means that women are better able to meet their practical gender needs; however, they are not empowered unless they are also able to meet their strategic gender needs, including the transformation of gender power relations from the household to state arenas. Therefore, the book argues that in order to bring about higher levels of empowerment, microfinance programs must be combined with other services such as financial literacy, socioeconomic training, education, healthcare, social mobilization and legal support. Microfinance and Women's Empowerment in Bangladesh will be of interest to students and scholars across a range of disciplines, including Gender Studies, Development Studies, and Politics.