****

By: Emily Hedin, Fulbright Scholar (Affiliated September 2007- September 2008)

As I write this article in a coffee shop in Minneapolis, Minnesota, I find it hard to believe that a week ago I was on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. I have just completed a year of independent research in Senegal as a Fulbright scholar. I studied how microfinance (the extension of financial services to marginalized populations) empowers women and enlarges female space in society.

Warc affiliate researcher, Emily Hedin, giving her presentation in the presence of senegalese and american students

The Fulbright provided a unique opportunity to explore Senegal, integrate into daily life, and learn how many Senegalese women confront the dual challenges of poverty and sex discrimination. I first came to Senegal as an undergraduate student in 2006. I participated in a study abroad program, Minnesota Studies in International Development (MSID), hosted by WARC. This program introduced me to international development and practice. My coursework and internship sparked my interest in microfinance. When I returned to Macalester College, I used my final MSID paper to launch my application for the Fulbright.

My central research question was: Can microfinance projects empower women on an individual, family, and social level? I interviewed 140 women from four regions of Senegal: Dakar, Kaolack, Kedougou, and Ziguinchor. In each region, I selected a microfinance organization and interviewed female clients. I then interviewed an equal number of female community members who had no access to financial services.

I found that microfinance empowers women on an individual level. Micro-credit gives women the opportunity and resources necessary to channel their skills towards an income-generating activity. These economic activities turn a profit, which markedly grows over sustained participation in a microfinance organization. Microfinance organizations also offer important services, such as savings accounts, that help women control their income.

While indicators of personal empowerment are strong, I did not find conclusive evidence that increased income and control of income changes a woman's position in the home. Women in microfinance organizations play a greater role than the control group in the financial management of the home. However, I recorded no difference in non-financial decision making between the two groups. Moreover, I found that working outside the home does not affect a woman's domestic responsibilities. As the success of their micro enterprise grew, many women spent more time out of the home. However, their responsibilities for child care, laundry, and cooking did not decrease at a proportional rate.

Another view of the audience during Emily's presentation

Finally, I found that microfinance holds potential to empower women on a social level. However, I only recorded a change in political/social behavior in those microfinance organizations that employed the "group strategy." Microfinance organizations will extend credit to women in one of two ways: they will give credit to an individual or to a group. In the "group strategy," members guarantee each other's repayment. Thus, women without physical collateral can still access credit. My research shows that women in a microfinance group often use the group as a forum for political discussion and to familiarize themselves with other development projects. Participation in a microfinance group often encourages women to participate in other development activities or social movements regarding issues such as human rights, education, and public safety.

Empowerment is often conceptualized as a ladder: to reach higher rungs, we must first pass lower ones. Individual, family, and social empowerment are often linked together with individual empowerment being the necessary first step in encouraging changes in family and social life. By isolating the individual, family, and social empowerment analysis from one another, we see how a woman can experience empowerment at one level, while being unaffected at other levels. Specifically, I argue that microfinance organizations empower women as individuals and as community members but fail to empower women as family members. This study calls for a re-conceptualization of empowerment and redefined strategies for addressing empowerment at different levels.

I plan to continue to study microfinance. In future work, I would like to focus more on how microfinance responds to Senegalese social norms. For example, how can savings plans compete with the pressure to provide for neighbors and family members after one's immediate needs are met?

I would like to thank Professor Ousmane Sene and the entire staff of the West African Research Center for supporting this research. My year as a Fulbright scholar was transformative and unforgettable.