Browsing by Author "Varsha Sekhar"

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    Analysing The Relationship Between Financial Inclusion and Women Empowerment : A Rights-Based Approach to Understanding Economic Agency and Barriers
    (National Law School of India University, 2025-05-29) Varsha Sekhar
    Financial inclusion is well recognised as an empowerment tool for women, but its potential to expand women’s economic rights remains unevenly achieved, especially in a patriarchal context. This study investigates whether and how financial inclusion deepens women’s ability to assert their economic rights through a rights-based framework, and what structural and socio-cultural variables mediate this relationship. The research uses qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with sixteen women from Malappuram district, Kerala, and unstructured interviews with two local bankers. Participants were sampled using snowball sampling and represent a variety of socio-economic and occupational backgrounds. Thematic analysis revealed that although all the participants possessed bank accounts, genuine financial autonomy was frequently limited by poor financial literacy, patriarchal decision-making factors, and poor institutional support. Financial autonomy was also influenced by factors such as employment, financial literacy and intra-household dynamics. Evidence indicates that financial inclusion policy needs to progress beyond access to proactively stimulate financial literacy, institutionally-backed accountability, and gender-insensitive outreach to facilitate effective and equitable economic empowerment.