Social empowerment of rural women through self help groups: A study in Gujarat state

The present investigation was carried out in Gir Somnath district of Gujarat State. Five talukas of Gir Somnath district were purposively selected where Self-Help Groups (SHGs) formed under Ambuja Cement Foundation and Krishi Vigyan Kendra. A total of 79 SHGs were formed in these five talukas. Villages with more than eight SHGs and those engaging in income-generating activities for more than three years were included. From each village, 25 SHG and 25 non-SHG woman members were selected for the study. Thus, the total sample size of members was 500. The results revealed that the independent sample ‘Z’ test showed a significant difference in the mean values of SHG members and non-SHG members in case of social status, communication ability, mass media exposure, and extension contact.