Social Development & Welfare Planning

Exploring the Lived Experiences of Rural Women Participating in a Microfinance Scheme Case Study of Self-Help Groups in the Villages of Damavand and Firuzkuh Counties, Tehran Province

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

‪Maryam Ebrahimi‬‏ 1
Fatemeh Jaafari 2
Mohammad Azar panah 3

1 Research Institute for Social Policy and Social Studies Allameh Tabataba’i University, Tehran, Iran

2 Assistant Professor, Faculty of Literature and Human Sciences, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

3 PhD Student in Sociology of Economy and Development

10.22054/qjsd.2026.92447.2762
Abstract
This study aimed to explore the lived experiences of rural women participating in the microfinance scheme and to identify its impacts, challenges, and the participants’ policy demands. The study employed a qualitative approach and thematic analysis in rural areas of Damavand and Firuzkuh counties. Data were collected through 15 semi-structured interviews and were analyzed using MAXQDA software. The findings were organized into four main themes: the process of converting resources into agency and individual, occupational, and social outcomes; power-balancing outcomes; the gendered and place-based nature of employment challenges; and policy expectations. The findings showed that women’s access to financial and non-financial resources, in interaction with self-help groups and the support of facilitators, contributed to the development and strengthening of agency by creating economic opportunities, expanding social networks, increasing control over resources, and enhancing women’s capabilities. In some cases, this process also contributed to changes in power relations within the family ., The study makes three theoretical contributions. First, it extends the model by explaining the mechanisms through which resources are converted into agency and the contextual conditions that shape the conversion of agency into outcomes. Second, it demonstrates the role of self-help groups and facilitators as mediating and socializing mechanisms in the empowerment process. Third, it identifies a gap between policymakers’ problem identification and needs assessment and the actual demands of participating women.

Keywords

Microfinance
Lived Experience
Rural Women
Self-Help Groups
Employment
Subjects
Social Development & Welfare Planning

Articles in Press, Corrected Proof
Available Online from 17 October 2026

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