The Impact of Microfinance, Education, and the English Language on Women's Freedom of Movement: Evidence from Pakistan

This paper attempts to investigate whether the effect of microfinance involvement on women's freedom of movement depends on education. Based on a simple random sampling, a cross-sectional questionnaire was used to collect data for this study from 744 female customers of Khushhali Bank and National Rural Support Program in Bahawalpur District, Pakistan. Using a multinomial logit (MNL) model, the findings demonstrate that the borrowers are more empowered than the non-borrowers and that the coefficient of the loan size increases women's freedom of movement empowerment. Results also revealed that there is no significant role of the English language on women's freedom of movement, though the findings show that educated women are more empowered. It is hoped that this study can contribute to the socio-economic and political arena.