Self Help Groups: A Tool to Boost up Woman Empowerment

Abstract

Rural women are one of the most marginalized groups in India. Women-led self-help groups (SHGs) can improve the plight of rural women by providing them access to credit. SHGs are made up of 15-20 members. Each member contributes money ranging from Rs 10 to Rs 100, which is then deposited in the bank. The group can then obtain loans from the bank of from their own funds. Empowerment is a multi-faceted, multi-dimensional and multi-layered concept. Womenís empowerment is a process in which women gain greater share of control over resources - material, human and intellectual like knowledge, information, ideas and financial resources like money - and access to money and control over decision-making in the home, community, society and nation, and to gain ëpowerí. According to the Country Report of Government of India, “Empowerment means moving from a position of enforced powerlessness to one of power”. Poverty and unemployment are the major problems of any under developed countries, to which India is no exception.† In India, at the end of ninth five year plan 26.1% of the population was living below poverty line.† In the rural area 27.1% of the population was living under poverty.† The overall unemployment rate is estimated to 7.32%.† The female unemployment rate is 8.5%.