Women Empowerment and Economic Development Through Self-Help Groups

In the early decades, the concept of women’s development was perfectly Out of mind, the condition of women has been miserable since they were. It is subject to many socio-economic, political, and cultural constraints. The situation in rural and posterior areas was more significant. The role of women in economic development is linked to goals of Comprehensive socio-economic development. For development Women’s status is completely deteriorating in new policies and programs They changed because they helped poor women. The empowerment approach is up to date and empowers women through independence and inner power. Help group Bank Linkage program Effective mechanisms to help achieve financial services for the underreaching poor women segment of society.

The term “empowerment” is the process by which people win better control of resources, actively participating in the process and developing different skills to assert themselves.

Women’s empowerment (WE) is the key to community socio-economic development. This is a dynamic and multidimensional process. It refers to women’s empowerment socially, economically, and politically.

Women’s Self-Help Groups 

A group of women, or self-help groups, is a global phenomenon that always exists in many different ways. These networks provide a platform for individual interests (self-esteem, agency, self-confidence) and collective action. These groups give off sparks. When women meet, they work together, and when they work together, they begin to have hope for themselves and their communities. With the power of hope, women begin to design and create the changes they want to see. 

Support groups are voluntary groups, usually made up of 15-25 people, who meet weekly to save small businesses and make a difference to both themselves and their communities. SHGs are based on the basic assumption that when individuals come together to overcome obstacles and take action to achieve social change, the consequences can be individual and/or group empowerment. 

Empowerment, in turn, lays the foundation for many positive outcomes, many of which create an environment that enables good governance, political change, and economic growth. As the group matures, SHG members begin to promote new groups that replicate organically and exponentially. Group-oriented thematic content goes far beyond savings and business skills, with topics ranging from health habits to disaster risk mitigation and human rights.

How Does SHG Work?

Phase 1: Group Formation 

Community members are invited to learn more about the support group’s approach and to participate in SHG. When individual groups start weekly meetings, facilitators help group members name groups, agree to bylaws, and work together to support each other and members of the community.

Phase 2: Group Strengthening

Over the weeks, SHG members will start saving, launch small businesses, and give each other microcredit from the savings. When women work together, their confidence and desire for change begin to grow. They are working to stop children from getting married, encourage governments to access services, and help vulnerable members of the community.

Phase 3: Maturity and Growth

As SHG matures, we will begin seeding and supporting new SHGs. As the SHG movement grows, groups begin to create coalition structures, group members form clusters, and federal-level structures are formally recognized. This allows them to drive large-scale changes from the bottom up.

Empowerment through SHGs

SHG guarantees financial independence through income-generating activities. Regular meetings and discussions on many live topics help local women develop communication skills and build confidence to speak at Gram Sabha and public conferences, and are successful in democratic, social, and cultural living areas. To accommodate. Women’s social development through the creation of equality encourages women’s participation, facilitates decision-making, and makes women self-reliant in society.

Governmental Initiatives:

Government support has accelerated the SHG movement. World Bank (2001) Joint efforts by governments, NGOs, and SHGs to promote long-term micro-enterprises have created tremendous employment opportunities for rural women to reduce rural poverty. According to Chelladurai (2004), specific policies need to be formed to create professional diversity by promoting rural industry and support services. Local banks have made tremendous progress in improving access to financial services for the poor. The program uses funds for general goods such as institutional capacity building, empowerment of women’s SHGs, capacity building of central and state-level institutions, income generation, resource investment, technical assistance, access to social programs, and drinking water. It is targeted Hygiene, daycare centres, health, and child care. According to Carr, Marilyn Chen, and Renana Jhabvala (1990), a 239-family survey of women in rural and tribal areas in Maharashtra found that mothers of 64 families dealing with SHG had more child health than non-participants in the village. High awareness of family planning.

Conclusion

Production of the SHG movement has improved the lives socially and economically of backward-looking women. SHG has also improved financial independence and security. Through the development of SHG, women’s empowerment will be possible. SHG has been identified as a source of information to meet the financial needs of women. SHG improves economic activity, the socio-economic status, and also paves the way for women’s empowerment Not only in rural areas but also in urban areas.