The present study was conducted in purposively selected two blocks, namely, Milkipur and Heringtonganj, of Faizabad district in Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Data were collected from 208 members of 52 SHGs comprising 50% male and 50% female groups, through structured interview schedule, incorporating relevant dimensions. The study revealed that the mean values of entrepreneurial characteristics of male SHG members were significantly higher than females, before joining the SHGs, but after joining the groups non-significance difference was observed between male and female members with respect to their achievement motivation, knowledge level, leadership ability and cosmopoliteness. Majority of the group members (43.75%) fell under medium category of their entrepreneurship behaviour followed by low (34.62%) and high (21.63%) categories. Male and female group members differed significantly for all of the entrepreneurial characteristics before joining the groups. The significant differences, however, were found only for innovativeness, decision making, information seeking, risk taking ability and ability to coordinate dairy farm activities after joining the self-help groups, revealed that the difference between the male and female members with respect to their entrepreneurial characteristics became closer due to the impact of SHGs.
Maximum change among the SHG members after joining the SHGs were noticed for achievement motivation followed by innovativeness and leadership ability, assistance of management services, information seeking, decision making, knowledge of dairy farming enterprise, ability to co-ordinate dairy farm activities, cosmopoliteness and risk taking ability in descending order. Achievement motivation, knowledge of dairy farming enterprise, assistance of management services and leadership ability (P<0.01) and risk taking ability and ability to coordinate dairy farm activities (P<0.05) were found positively and significantly related with sustainability of the self-help groups.
Entrepreneurial behaviour, Self-help group, Sustainability, Gender, Dairying
