INFLUENCE OF BANKING PENETRATION ON WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN KENYA

Abstract: The primary objective of this research was to investigate the influence of banking penetration on the economic empowerment of women, specifically within the context of Murang’a County, Kenya. A descriptive research design was utilized, focusing on ten women's groups in Murang’a County, which together comprised a total of 474 members. Thus, the target population for the study was 474 individuals. To ensure that all respondents were adequately represented, a quota sampling method was employed, allowing for effective representation from the ten selected groups. Participants were chosen using a simple random sampling technique, resulting in a sample size of 217 individuals. Data collection was primarily conducted through questionnaires. To validate the research methodology, a pilot study was carried out with 22 participants from a women's group in Kiambu County. The quantitative data were analyzed descriptively, employing measures such as mean and standard deviation, while inferential analysis was used to examine the relationships among the variables. The findings were presented in tables and figures. The study concluded that there exists a positive and significant relationship between banking penetration (β= 0.2150, p= 0.002) and women's economic empowerment in Kenya. The investigation concludes that enhanced banking penetration in Kenya empowers women by providing improved opportunities for saving, investing, and obtaining credit, facilitating the initiation or expansion of their enterprises, thus resulting in heightened economic autonomy and resilience. The study recommends that banks should concentrate on augmenting the network of bank branches and ATMs in these regions to facilitate convenient access to banking services for women, eliminating the need for extensive travel. Keywords: Banking Penetration, Women Economic Empowerment, Financial Inclusion. Title: INFLUENCE OF BANKING PENETRATION ON WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT IN KENYA Author: Beatrice Wairimu Gicheha, Dr. Jane Gakenia Njoroge International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online) Vol. 13, Issue 2, April 2025 - June 2025 Page No: 479-486 Research Publish Journals Website: www.researchpublish.com Published Date: 24-June-2025 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.15726969 Paper Download Link (Source) https://www.researchpublish.com/papers/influence-of-banking-penetration-on-women-economic-empowerment-in-kenya