Women empowerment through self help groups: A study in north himalayan state of india

Women empowerment is one of the critical issues in the development research and policy making in developing countries. It is a multidimensional concept and multifaceted process involving facilitation of women for action and involvement in social, economic and political spheres of life. Research evidence exists to suggest that SHGs contribute enormously to empower the women through providing access to knowledge and skills required to participate in the process of development. In this paper, an attempt is made to find out the contribution of SHGs in women empowerment. The study findings indicated that all SHG members reported that SHGs have contributed in their economic, social and political empowerment; and some socio-personal characteristics of women such as age, education, caste and income were found to be positively and significantly correlated. The study has underscored the understanding that SHGs can effectively contribute towards women empowerment.