The objectives of this studv are to answer the following (i) does
access to credit for women change their status within the household with
effects for their work choices (on-farm work vs. off-warm self-employment).
(ii) does the impact of access to credit on work choices differ by the
headship status of the household, and (iii) does this effect differ by source
of credit (formal credit vs informal credit)? Access to credit is defined as o
variable that positively affects women is statues and decision making powers
within the household by increasing their level of economic activity and
giving them independent access to resources. This study differentiates
between access to credit and participation in a credit program, A non-
participating household that has access can still benefit as it can take on
activities that are risky but yield a high return. The on-farm and off-farm participation decisions of married men and women and female heads are estimated through discrete models using data from rural Malawi. The
estimation procedure accounts for endogeny of access to credit to tire
participation decisions.
