The Effect of Microfinance Services on Women Entrepreneurship: A Case Study in Jordan

Microfinance is seen as a tool for poverty elimination by providing various services characterized as financial and non-financial to minority groups in the society to be included in the mainstream financial system. This paper seeks to examine the effect of microfinance institutions' (MFIs) financial and non-financial services on women's entrepreneurship and empowerment in Jordan as a developing country. To gain a deeper understanding of the effectiveness of microfinance services, the study is undertaken to address the question of what kinds of services are available and whether the MFI services are in line with the actual needs of women entrepreneurs to improve their performance. Hence, a qualitative approach was adopted in this study using semi-structured interview questions to collect data from twenty-four women entrepreneurs in Jordan. The results showed that, as regards financial services, the most important needs of women entrepreneurs include providing adequate financing with necessary financial facilities such as reducing interest, reducing monthly installments, and extending the grace period, while non-financial services should include holding specialized courses, accessing a counseling center, providing incentives and psychological support, marketing support, and monitoring and evaluation. This study concluded that factors associated with MFI play a crucial role to uplift women entrepreneurs and eliminate gender inequality.