Analysis of Internal and External Factors Affecting Empowerment of Rural Women Receiving Microcredits (The Case of Kermanshah and Hamedan Provinces)

The main purpose of this study was to identify and explain the internal and external factors affecting the empowerment of rural women receiving microcredits in Kermanshah and Hamedan provinces. This research was a quantitative and descriptive-correlationd study which was conducted using a survey method. The statistical population of the study consisted of all rural women receiving microcredits in Hamedan and Kermanshah provinces (141 people). Data was collected through a questionnaire that it’s validity was confirmed by a panel of experts in women affair department of Agricultural Jihad Organization and agricultural extension, education, and rural development faculty members. Its reliability was confirmed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient which was higher than 0.8 for all parts of the questionnaire. Results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the variables such as "perceived adequacy of received credit amount", "the amount of income earned from the created job", and "the number of created jobs", and "participation in skills training courses" with the level of rural women empowerment. Among the variables, participation in skill training courses was the most important predictors of the rural women empowerment. In this research, based on correlation coefficients between variables, some recommendations were presented for improving the empowerment of rural women.