Empowerment of Women and Gender Mainstreaming in Rural Microfinance

The disadvantaged position of women due to higher poverty incidence and unequal power relationships with men and the wider community has been a source of debate over the past several decades. In many parts of the world (for example, Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia) women are the main farmers or producers. In Uganda (broadly illustrative of sub-Saharan Africa) 75 percent of agricultural producers are women (World Bank et. al, 2009). Yet, their roles are largely unrecognized, and women’s access to and control over resources is limited. Thus, while accounting for at least 50% of the population, women posses only 1% of world resources (ACCION, 2009).