Micro credit and women's agency: a comparative perspective across socio-religious communities in West Bengal, India

The paper explores the impact of a government sponsored microcredit program in India on women's decision-making agency across different socio-religious communities. The paper shows that women's participation in the Swarnajayanti Gram Swarojgar Yojona (SGSY) has resulted in varied patterns of decision-making across socio-religious communities (SRC) in four areas chosen for inquiry: (a) Money Management, (b) Food item (c) Use of borrowed money and (d) Kinship and family matters. The likelihood of taking ‘female only’ decision than that of ‘male only’ decision has increased among participating households irrespective of caste and creed compared to control group. Men control decisions in money management in both treatment and control households. In other three spheres women of participating households have a greater say compared to control group.