Self-Help Groups and Economic Empowerment of Rural Women: A Case Study

Abstract

For the last few years the subject ‘Women Empowerment' is a matter of serious discussion.  Ethically women as members of society should have their equal role. But throughout the world women occupy an inferior status rather than their male counter-parts. Efforts have been taken to empower women by launching various schemes and providing extra benefits for them. But in-spite of considerable improvement in the status of women, they still comprise the largest section of deprived population. Lack of capital is a serious constraint to the development of women, particularly in rural areas, who find little or no access to credit. Credit can help women to take up farm-allied activities or small enterprises and enabling them to respond to the opportunities created by the process of economic development. In this situation micro-credit is emerging as a powerful instrument for overall development of rural women.  In India, micro-credit is dominated by Self-Help Groups- (SHGs) bank linkage programme, aimed at providing a cost effective mechanism for providing financial services to the poor women. Thus the effective organisation of SHGs is a significant instrument in the process of economic empowerment of women. In this study I have tried to find out the role of Self-Help Groups towards the economic empowerment of women in Khejuri (Coastal Bay of Bengal), Purba Medinipur, W.B. In Khejuri the performance of SHGs is satisfactory. The study was conducted in 11 gram panchayats of Khejuri-I and Khejuri-II blocks. For the purpose of the study 110 women SHGs were selected randomly. SHG encourages women to form voluntary association and emerge as a group of saver-cum-borrowers. In fact, any financial assistance, if utilized properly generates gainful employment opportunities. Positive sign of employment generation was found in rural economy of Khejuri. Income has a favourable effect on consumption expenditure in general and on education, health, social and familial status of members in particular. Micro Credit extended to rural women opens up the scope to empower herself in the family set-up.