Effects of Women’s Economic Empowerment on Family Stability: A Case of Kixi-Crédito Beneficiaries in Cazenga Municipality

Abstract

In most studies conducted on women´s economic empowerment, the attention of the researchers has been very much focused on the impact it brings on the family welfare, poverty alleviation and/or sustainable development. Little attention has been given to the effects it has on the family stability. In Angola, the previous studies conducted on Kixi-crédito (KxC), a micro-credit program, were mainly focused on poverty alleviation leaving out the issue of family stability except for some superficial references to domestic violence. It is clear that women’s economic empowerment changes the power dynamics of the family. This is the reason that the present study sought to investigate the effects of women’s economic empowerment on family stability among 48 women beneficiaries of KxC. The study was conducted in Cazenga, a municipality of Luanda city (capital of Angola) from November 2013 to late May 2014. This is a hybrid and descriptive case study, based on secondary data, retrieved from reports, internet sites and journals and primary data collected through questionnaires, interviews and focus group discussions (FDGs). The authors used Epi Info to process and analyze quantitative data and descriptive narratives to analyze qualitative data. Narratives were used to report the results. The study found out that women’s economic empowerment influenced positively the family stability of most of the 48 families in Cazenga Municipality.

Key Words: Women, economic empowerment, family stability and micro credit program.