University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Investing in Women: Myths and Realities of Micro-Credit Programs in Peru

Cotler, Angelina

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/85266

Description

Title
Investing in Women: Myths and Realities of Micro-Credit Programs in Peru
Author(s)
Cotler, Angelina
Issue Date
2005
Doctoral Committee Chair(s)
Norman E. Whitten
Department of Study
Anthropology
Discipline
Anthropology
Degree Granting Institution
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Degree Name
Ph.D.
Degree Level
Dissertation
Keyword(s)
Women's Studies
Language
eng
Abstract
Even though the programs show high rates of repayment of loans, regularity and frequency of repayment does not automatically mean that women are getting out of poverty. Many women who are unable to repay their loans turn to local loan sharks in order to repay them, incurring in a vicious cycle of indebtedness. By the same token, female participation cannot be treated as a direct indicator of female empowerment, especially when women cannot control the use of loans. The pervasive presence of micro-finance institutions offers an alibi for donors as well as governments to withdraw from broader policies for poverty reduction. While micro-credit programs can help alleviate poverty among a very select group of women, who are not the poorest ones, significant poverty reduction is dependent on economic and social changes well beyond the reach of these projects.
Graduation Semester
2005
Type of Resource
text
Permalink
http://hdl.handle.net/2142/85266

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