Participation of Women in rural saving and credit cooperatives: “A case of Shebedino District, Sidama zone, southern Ethiopia”

ABSTRACT

I have done this research using qualitative survey method conducted to identify the

participation of women in saving and credit cooperatives. This was done in Shebedino

district, Sidama zone, South, Nations, Nationalities and people’s regional state, Ethiopia.

The data was collected both from primary and secondary sources.

Primary data was gathered from the administration of semi structured questionnaires. The

questionnaires were focused on collecting the information about participation of women in

saving and credit services.

A sample size for this research consisted equal proportion of 30 female and male

respondents from 3 saving and credit cooperatives.

The study also used focus group discussion, interviews, and observation as primary data

collection methods. 2 FGD participants (board of directors and non cooperative member

women.

Questionnaire was filled by key informants from regional, zonal and district level

cooperative promoters.

Observation was done as additional information source for primary data collection for this

study.

For secondary data collection literature reviews based on participation of women in microfinance

services was included in order to support the study findings from the study area.

Finally the study concluded that socio economic and political factors have a negative

influence on the participation of women in cooperative societies. Furthermore the services

of the promoting organizations at regional, zonal and district level are not sufficiently

directed to enable women to participate effectively. As a result participation of women

in membership, saving and credit use and leadership position is minimal compared to men

in the same saving and credit cooperative.

The Cooperative Promotion organizations in different levels have the responsibility to

encourage women by convincing and awareness creation so that women know better their

rights and obligations of being a member before becoming a member and that share

paying is not hindering factor for women.

 For further reading check this link: Participation of Women in rural savingand credit cooperatives