Asian Journal of Research in Banking and Finance

Financial Inclusion, which promotes access and the use of high-quality financial services, particularly among poor people, is crucial to achieve inclusive growth. Women disproportionately face financial access barriers that prevent them from participating in the economy and from improving their lives. Access to credit can open up economic opportunities for women, and bank accounts can be a gateway to the use of additional financial services. However, women entrepreneurs and employers face significantly greater challenges than men in gaining access to financial services. Just like any Country, India is also working to promote financial inclusion for women to help to achieve gender equity and poverty reduction. The Women‘s Co-operative societies can help and guide to establish the industrial estates by providing financial assistance to the women in the urban and rural areas. Women‘s co-operative societies can help women to form the women‘s consumer co-operative societies that will create a congenial atmosphere for the development of entrepreneurship among women. Most women co-operative societies are small and have a narrow range of financial services, limited to financial resources and have small workforce. There is no basic difference between the co-operative societies in general and the women‘s co-operative societies. However, one difference must be accepted and that is, women‘s co-operative societies have been formed with a social purpose and therefore, it needs special encouragement from the government and the society. Present study is an attempt to link gender and financial access, by focusing on efficiency of operation, progress and challenges faced by women co-operative societies in Kannur district of Kerala state.