Guidelines for solving the problem of outstanding debt of members of the Women’s Development Fund in Sao Hai District, Saraburi Province

Abstract

The objectives of this research were to: 1) examine the problems of overdue debt among members of the Women’s Role Development Fund in Sao Hai District, Saraburi Province; 2) compare debt problems based on personal factors; and 3) propose guidelines for resolving overdue debt problems according to personal factors, including age, occupation, marital status, education level, number of household members, average monthly income, and average monthly expenses. A mixed-methods approach was employed. The quantitative data were collected from 83 indebted members of the fund, while the qualitative data were obtained from 9 key informants. Data collection tools included a questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The questionnaire had a reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) of 0.946. Data were analyzed using percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, and one-way ANOVA. The research findings revealed that 1) The overall level of overdue debt problems was moderate, with household financial issues having the highest mean, followed by debt burden with other financial institutions, and fund management issues. 2) Personal factors such as occupation, marital status, education level, number of household members, and income significantly affected the level of debt problems. 3) Major problems and obstacles included unstable income, lack of financial discipline, misuse of loan funds, and insufficient debt management mechanisms. 4) The proposed solutions comprised two aspects: debt reduction—through financial literacy development and monitoring systems; and debt prevention—by enforcing stricter loan approval processes and promoting household accounting practices.