The Role of Cooperatives in Women's Economic Empowerment: A Study of Sundarharaincha, Morang

Abstract

Co-operatives are voluntary organizations established to fulfill the common interest of their members. The issue of women’s empowerment has been studied by scholars since the twentieth century. Though the Nepal Government has given special rights to women in the constitution against discrimination in any case, women are equal to men. But it was confined mainly to papers, while the majority of women were essentially powerless. The paper studied 100 women co-operative members from different co-operatives in Sundarharaincha ward number one of Morang district, Nepal, using a closed-ended questionnaire. The study was analyzed with both descriptive and simple statistical techniques. The sample was collected through convenience sampling to investigate the economic empowerment of women members in co-operatives. The study found that co-operatives support women's economic empowerment, thereby enhancing the economic welfare of their members.