Women empowerment through SHGs -A participatory assessment

Women as compared to men face varied deprivations -social cultural, political and economic necessitating concerted efforts on the part of government and society. Accordingly, comprehensive measures have been taken in India in the direction of reducing gender inequality and promoting women empowerment. Promoting WSHG has been one of such measures. Uttar Pradesh Sodic Lands Reclamation III Project, implemented through 20 district project units, has also promoted WSHGs of needy and poor women for their financial and economic empowerment. These WSHGs have been supported in their savings, credit and income-generating activity operations. In the current research, impact of WSHG on women empowerment has been assessed through participatory methods including focus group discussion and scale scoring. The study was conducted during January-March 2016 covering a sample of 18 WSHGs, two each from 9 districts of Uttar Pradesh. Project interventions have brought about improvement in women's access to informal savings channel, easy credit, and alternative income sources. WSHG intervention has not only improved women's financial and economic status within the household but has also brought about changes in socio-cultural dimensions of their life. They are contributing in their household's livelihood system. Social prejudices against women have diluted in both dimension and degree. Thus the WSHG approach appears to be an appropriate strategy to help downtrodden women join the mainstream in rural areas.