Abstract
This paper examines the effects of women participation in income generating activities on their
empowerment in Umuahia North L.G.A of Abia State. The study sought to find out the extent to which
women have access to capital for engagement in income generating activities and the extent to which
women are economically empowered through their participation in income generating activities. The
descriptive survey was conducted with the population of 400 registered women from 8 organizations
that are involved in income generating activities. The entire population was used for the study as it
was not too large. A 22 item structured instrument developed by the researchers was used for data
collection. The data collected were analyzed using weighted mean. The study revealed that only few
women have access to capital from formal lending institutions most of them depend on personal
savings or other informal sources. The study also revealed that there is low participation of women in
income generating activities thereby hindering their economic empowerment. It was recommended
among others that Abia State government and other stakeholders should enact laws and policies that
will abolish artificial and institutional barriers that inhibit women participation in economic activities.
Keywords: Empowerment, Women Empowerment, Economic Participation, Access to Capital
Publication Date: 2018-06-09