Strategi Pemberdayaan Perempuan Pelaku Usaha Mikro Oleh PT Permodalan Nasional Madani: Kajian Pendekatan Economic Empowerment (Studi Pada PNM Mekaar Cabang Solo)

Abstract

This study analyzes strategies for empowering women micro-entrepreneurs through the PNM Mekaar program from an economic empowerment perspective. It starts from the understanding that financing does not by itself produce empowerment; resources must be converted into the capacity to act and into achievements that customers regard as valuable. A descriptive qualitative approach within an interpretive/constructivist paradigm was used, set in the PNM Mekaar Banjarsari Unit, Solo Branch. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, non-participant observation, document review, and secondary data. The analysis involved data condensation, deductive and inductive coding, grouping into categories and themes, and cross-informant comparison assisted by NVivo. The analytical framework combines Sen's Capability Approach, Rappaport's Empowerment Theory, and Kabeer's Resources–Agency–Achievements framework, with conversion factors as conditions that shape the conversion process. The results show that the PNM Mekaar strategy is better understood as a credit-plus approach, because financing is combined with mentoring, training, information, literacy, and business networks. The resources identified are financial, human, social, institutional, and business-related. Agency is evident in the ability to manage capital, make decisions, solve problems, manage risks, and use digital marketing. However, this process is influenced by personal capabilities, social support, group dynamics, the continuity of mentoring, and institutional conditions. The findings emphasize that empowerment success should be assessed as a process of expanding capabilities, not merely by the amount of financing or the smoothness of repayments.