INFLUENCE OF RURAL CREDIT FACILITIES ON GENDER RELATIONS AT HOUSE A CASE STUDY OF POVERT PROJECT IN PALLISA DISTRICT

Rural credit facilities in the country have been seen as one of the ways of initiating development and eradicating poverty. particularly in rural areas. The study sought to examine the influence rural credit facilities has on gender-relations at household level. Benefits were identified for both men and women and the influence on power relations and poverty in the household was found. The findings showed that access to credit leads to changes in power relations, for example change in decision making, gender roles, increased bargaining power. The gender-relations in terms of access and control favoured more men than women. To some extent benefits were equally obtained, but when it came to control over them conflicts arose. Bath men and women respondents were able to acquire financial and physical assets but what varied was the type of asset each individual acquired. They also attained leadership qualities that they did not have before, however this does not mean ail individuals benefited. As indicated in the findings, some of them did not. Meanwhile, alongside access to credit, there are constraint factors, which limited empowerment of PAP clients in the study area such as lack of confidence, illiteracy. Based on the study findings, access to PAP credit facilities has led to changes in gender roles of some beneficiaries, joint planning, cooperation, and conflicts in some households. This indicates that there have been positive and negative benefits. Therefore the study recommends that a gender analysis appraisal should be performed so that they gauge household relations in order to have a clear understanding of men and women. It also recommends that women's bargainîng power needs to be improved and enhanced as they operate from a weak socio- economic positim1 in the sense that they have limited access to property which is needed as security for obtaining loans from financial institutions. Furthermore, women as well as men need increased access to appropriate financial services such as savings, deposits and credit in order to alleviate poverty