International Journal of Gender & Women's Studies

Impact of Women’s Economic Empowerment in Development: An Evaluation of Development Exchange Centre in Plateau State
Hannatu Rwang Unanam

Abstract
Women in our society face a lot of challenges and barriers because they are a disadvantaged group.The narrative are that the social order limits women‟s development despite efforts by some development partners and their collaborators in empowering women. In this article, there is a concise discussion on a systematic discrimination against women created by social inequality and how the Development Exchange Centre‟s (DEC) interventions impact on women‟s economic empowerment and its attendant consequences on development. Women groups who are beneficiaries of loan facilities from DEC were drawn across six local government areas in Plateau State, using stratified sampling technique. The Semi-Structured Interview and Focused Group Discussion used identified poverty as a phenomenon which affects women in Plateau State. The study revealed that women need more economic empowerment which can determine how they improve their lives. It is recommended that more women Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs) should be created to engage the women in economic activities that will bring about their self-development.

Full Text: PDF      DOI: 10.15640/ijgws.v8n1a1