Long-Term Effect of Microfinance Services on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Yemen

The study aimed to investigate the long-term effectLong-term effect of microfinanceMicrofinance services onWomen’s economic empowerment women’s economic empowermentEmpowerment in YemenYemen. Studies have investigated the short-term effect of microfinance services on women’s economic empowermentWomen’s economic empowerment but have ignored the long-term effectLong-term effect. A qualitative approach was adopted using multiple case studiesMultiple case studies. The case studies used formal interviewsInterviews and informal visits to collect data from women entrepreneursEntrepreneur as primary respondents to the study interviewsInterviews. Data were collected from 18 women entrepreneurs 5 years after receiving their first loan and establishing their micro-sized businesses. Yemeni female entrepreneursEntrepreneur are usually denied owning their businesses, experience violence from partners and family members, are prone to business confiscation by their family members and relatives, and are denied decision-making on their own personal or business issues. The results of this research will help expose the problems faced by related stakeholders in addressing these challenges and finding solutions. This will encourage female entrepreneursEntrepreneur to play a critical role in contributing to the country’s economy.