Financial access as a Tool for Women's upliftment: A Study of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana and its Impact on Women's Rights

The Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY), launched in 2014, is a impactful initiative in India’s financial access agenda with profound implications for women’s upliftment and rights. This paper synthesizes secondary data from government reports, academic journals, and research studies to examine how financial access through PMJDY has catalyzed awareness of and exercise of women’s rights across multiple aspects—economic autonomy, legal entitlements, household decision-making power, and social involvement. Drawing upon empirical findings and case studies, this research shows that bank account ownership, credit access through supportive schemes like PM Mudra Yojana, and integration with self-help groups have created major pathways for women’s upliftment while simultaneously identifying persistent barriers related to digital literacy, dormant accounts, and socio-cultural constraints. The paper concludes that financial access serves as a foundational tool for women’s rights achievement but requires supportive interventions in financial literacy, legal awareness, and gender-aware policy execution.