The Role of Micro-Enterprises in the Four-Dimensional Framework of Women's Empowerment

Abstract This paper empirically evaluates the impact of micro-enterprises on women's empowerment. A quantitative research approach and a cross-sectional research design were adopted in the study. Survey research and purposive sampling technique were used to select 384 individual respondents (women entrepreneurs under the Kudumbashree Mission of Kerala state in India). The data gathered from a structured questionnaire was used for confirmatory factor analysis, model fit evaluation, and making a structural equation model to test the proposed relationship in the four-dimensional model of women's empowerment. The study asserts that micro-enterprises play an important role as they can contribute to women's empowerment by providing opportunities for employment.. In order to establish an enterprise more successful and sustainable, women should be taught entrepreneurial skills, technical knowledge, skill training, and marketing skills. The study discovered a strong correlation between the performance of micro-enterprises and women empowerment attributes. The study aids the government and policymakers in better understanding and implementing strategies to boost women’s micro-enterprises, resulting in the overall empowerment of marginalized women.