Abstract

Women’s economic empowerment is viewed as a precondition for sustainable development, pro-poor growth and the achievement of all the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Therefore, ‘economic empowerment’ is an essential objective to improve the well-being and development of the poor, particularly women belonging to the marginalized segment in almost all developing countries, including India. Self-help group (SHG) programmes have emerged as an effective mechanism of economic empowerment and development of women as well as a platform for service delivery through collective action in India. The provision of pooled savings with SHGs and collateral free loans create viable and sustainable self-employment and income generating opportunities to group member, which improve the quality of status of women as members, decision-makers and beneficiaries in all social, political and economic spheres of life and become agents of change. The present paper examines the economic empowerment of the SHG members through the SHGs located in two poor districts of Assam, India. For the purpose, a field survey was conducted in Baksa and Udalguri districts of Assam in North-east India to collect primary data from 240 women members belong to 60 SHGs spread over 39 villages in that area. Visiting door to door, four members from each of the SHGs were interviewed to gather information regarding group related issues and empowerment contexts as well as personal profile using structured interview schedule. The paired t-test was applied to examine the effectiveness on women in respect of economic empowerment after becoming member of SHG. The results revealed that empowerment indicators- monthly income, monthly savings and economic assets of women household had increased significantly after becoming members of SHGs. The study provides the evidence that the SHGs enabled the women to have a substantial improvement in the economic empowerment in the study area. Finally, the problems faced by the SHGs in the functioning were discussed and provided some policy prescriptions for further improvement and sustainability.