Economy

The empowerment of rural women and their involvement in decision making process is being considered as one of the prerequisite for achieving sustainable development. Access to small credit could well facilitate the empowerment mechanism. This study tries to answer the following question: Could access to small credit be influential on economic and psychological empowerment of women? The research method of this study is based on survey technique, filling questionnaire and documentation. The sample of this study is all of the woman of Lakestan Sub-District Salmas out of which 225 were extracted through quota sampling technique. Data were analyzed through application of T test. This paper suggests that access to small amount of credits could have a great impact on rural women's empowerment. That is those who were awarded loan were more capable and possess more self-confidence comparing with the ones who did not receive it.