Gender Roles of Microfinance Institutions’ Beneficiaries in Sorsogon City, Philippines

The study setting is Sorsogon City’s Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), operating within the city, confronted with hold-ups, credit pollution (multiple borrowing of some beneficiaries), negative paying attitude of the borrowers, and coercive way of loan payments by center chief. Answers to problems: 1) gender profile of borrowers of MFIs; 2) reasons why men seldom borrow; 3) gender role in decision making; and 4) gender role in business management; and through descriptive-evaluative research methods, focused-group discussion, interview/documentary analysis; generated these findings: 1) MFI beneficiaries’ profile reflects that 74.58% are women (mothers), 18.33% are men (fathers), 2.92% are eldest sons, and 4.17% are eldest daughters; with high school education, belonging to poor families of 3 to 6 members; engaged in vending; 2) Fathers and males seldom avail of loans because: a) MFI is designed for mothers; b) fathers are busy to attend meetings and activities; 3) Mothers are given full authority to decide how to spend loan proceeds provided they are managed well and records kept for transparency; 4) Decision making is shared between fathers and mothers, with little participation from eldest sons and/or daughters; and mothers hold prime responsibility over the business with minimal participation from fathers and/or children. MFIs may: 1) Review their mission, vision, goals, lending policies and programs, and employ better modalities that include gender roles in the family since many fathers and children are unemployed; 2) Studies on gender-based business can be conducted to document success stories of borrowers to encourage family members to engage in productive roles; 3) Beneficiaries must be coached by the MFIs in business implementation and decision making to empower them and stop the cycle of borrowing within period of five (5) years.