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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Women and development in urban Senegal: microcredit and social capital |
Author: | Kane, Safiétou |
Year: | 2013 |
Periodical: | African Sociological Review (ISSN 1027-4332) |
Volume: | 17 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 45-64 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Senegal |
Subjects: | urban women microfinance social networks |
External link: | https://www.ajol.info/index.php/asr/article/view/99584 |
Abstract: | The challenging living conditions of many Senegalese families, and the absence of a providing spouse, have led women to covet new economic opportunities, such as microcredit loans. Microcredit loans offer Senegalese women the possibility to financially support their households and become active participants in their economies. A study was carried out in Grand-Yoff, an overpopulated peri-urban area of the Senegalese capital city Dakar, where most people face daily survival needs. It examined the relationships between microcredit activities and the social capital of Senegalese female loan recipients. It found that the impact and success of microcredit are closely tied to the female borrowers' social capital. Household members, kin groups, communities, social and business networks, formal education, training, professional and business experience are all important sources of social capital for female borrowers. Sources of social capital for the participants in the study can be dependable and enriching, but in many cases reveal themselves to be treacherous, jeopardizing the survival of their households and businesses. The study shows that a providing spouse, formal education, training, business experience, and belonging to social and entrepreneurial activities facilitate women's success in their microcredit and entrepreneurial activities. The most responsive microcredit models are those of development organs (mainly NGOs), and women's cooperatives and groups, because they adopt integrated approaches, thereby addressing women's needs in conjunction with micro-lending. Bibliogr., sum. [Journal abstract] |