Articles
Exploring Barriers to Inclusion of Widowed and Abandoned Women through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case of Rural South India
Microcredit programs have been applauded as the magic bullet for the poor, especially women with limited financial resources. Building on previous research, this study examines effects of a microcredit self-help group (SHG) program on perceptions of social exclusion among widowed and abandoned women who participated in groups established after the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India (N=109). Read More
Microcredit Self-Help Groups for Widowed and Abandoned Women in South India: Do They Help?
Results are presented from a study on a microcredit program with self-help groups implemented forwidowed and abandonedwomen inTamil Nadu shortly after the Indian Ocean Tsunami. Data were collected from 109 participants measuring the women’s investment patterns, loan amounts, demographics, and overall well-being (psychological, economic, communal, and familial). Read More
Environmental Justice and Gender: Renaming the Problem, Reframing the Lens, Rethinking Solutions
Women and children are particularly vulnerable to health risks associated with living in toxic environments. Women’s position in society, their unpaid and undervalued labor, and low socio-economic status often expose them more than men to direct and harsh environmental problems. Despite their exposure to environmental problems, women tend to be under-represented in discussions and decision-making about the environment and the effects of climate change in their communities. Read More
The Development of Self-Efficacy Beliefs of Widowed and Abandoned Women Through Microcredit Self-Help Groups: The Case of Rural South India
Widowed or abandoned women are among the poorest and marginalized people in Indian society. In an effort to empower these women to achieve a sustainable livelihood and overcome discrimination related to marital status and caste, a local nongovernmental organization, Kalangarai, organized widows and abandoned women into microcredit self-help groups (SHGs) along the Southeast coast of India. Read More
