Empowering women of india with micro-finance: A case study of Delhi region

Empowerment of women is considered as a very important issue for an emerging economy like India. As women form an integral part of our society, their participation in economic activities and decision making activities till date is very low. Over the years, Government and Non-Government agencies have made various efforts to improve the socio-economic status of women in India. One such tool for empowering women is Microfinance. Microfinance is treated as a banking service that is provided to the unemployed, low-income individuals or groups who would otherwise have no other means of gaining financial services. Micro finance in association with Self Help Group (SHG) has been recognized internationally as the modern tool to combat poverty thereby leading to women empowerment. This paper focuses on the role played by microfinance in empowering women of India in the capital Delhi. The main objective of the study is to analyze the impact of micro financing through SHG's on social and economic status of women in Delhi. A structured questionnaire was designed for the purpose of the survey. The researchers have used Structural equation Model to analyze the data collected through survey. The findings of the study show that micro-finance plays an important role in improving the socio-economic status of women in India. Through micro financing they have become independent, confident and courageous. In addition to this they have developed certain skills which have helped them in earning money, but women wanted some more NGOs should come forward and provide them training sessions for their skill development which will help them in income generating activities.