1. INTRODUCTION:

SHGs act as a catalyst of change in empowering women. Empowering women changes the underlying inequalities in power and resources and increases self-esteem, self-confidence, and independent decision making. The economy of a nation can be improved by raising the standards of living of poor people and removing gender inequalities. Social justice and equality are important for peace and prosperity in society. National and international meetings and bodies highlighted the importance of women empowerment. This has resulted in the formation of women SHGs in India and worldwide.

Self-Help Groups:

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are informal associations of 10 to 20 people with similar economic and social backgrounds. They come together to overcome common problems, poverty alleviation and to improve their standard of living. They are generally self-governed and peer-controlled. They are composed of local women between the ages of 18 and 50.

The National Bank for Agricultural and Rural Development (NABARD)¹ has defined Self Help Group as “a homogenous group of rural poor voluntarily formed to save whatever amount they can conveniently save out of their earnings and mutually agree to contribute to a common fund of the group to be lent to the members for meeting their productive and emergent credit needs.”

Women Empowerment:

Women empowerment embraces all the spheres having direct or indirect impact on women’s lives. Women empowerment or female empowerment is important for the overall development of any community. Emphasizing education, training and employment, women's empowerment allows women to take an independent decision, redefine gender roles, control over money, and pursue their dreams. In simple words, it is a process of controlling one’s life in every aspect of life. The key underlying concepts defining women’s empowerment are related to choices, control, and power (Malhotra and Schuler 2005)².

SHGs and Women Empowerment:

Women are an integral part of every society. Development of any nation is dependent on the overall development of all its citizens. The self-help group, which has become the vehicle of change for poor and marginalized people, is a way of organising them to come together to solve their individual problems. Self-employment is a key component of the anti-poverty programme to sustain incomes and remove the shackles of poverty. The SHG-BLP is most suited to India because the model capitalizes on the country’s vast bank network to reach the unreached rural poor.

SHG-Bank Linkage Programme and Women Empowerment:

The SHG-Bank Linkage Programme is the bank-lend microfinance channel initiated by NABARD in 1992. Women usually in villages form groups and contribute their savings to the group periodically. Out of this savings, small loans are provided to the members for the purpose of income-generating activities. Once the SHG is stable, it starts working on its own with the support of the government. Both deposits and microcredit are in commensuration to break the spurious consumption or keep idle, little surplus earnings, which implies stopping mere waste of great assets and improving the economy with a multidimensional approach. United Nations (2001) defines empowerment as the processes by which women take control and ownership of their lives through expansion of their choices.

2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Yunus (2004)³ concluded that the microcredit programme by the Grameen Bank of Bangladesh has grown, providing a wide range of services to meet the economic and social needs of citizens, mostly poor women.

Parida and Singha (2010)⁴ analyzed data from a survey carried out in six states in India. They found that overall; all-female SHGs did well in terms of recovery of loans and per capita saving. The econometrics results indicated that only all-female SHGs are sustainable. The factors that determine the sustainability include recovery of loans, per capita savings, and linkage with an SHG federation.

Pandey and Rani (2011)⁵ examined the impact of participation in Self Help Groups on the empowerment of women in Chamarajnagar District of Karnataka using personal narrative methods. The authors suggested that it is necessary to provide a convergence of inputs, ensuring a proactive involvement of women in the program, changing social norms and perceptions and anchoring for wider movements of social change.

Dhanalakshmi (2013)⁶ analysed the literature around the self-help groups (SHGs) movement in India. It was found that most literature has focused on empowerment as the outcome, not as the process. Only limited studies explored the relationship between a self-help group and the process of empowerment.

Kappa (2014)⁷ conducted a study in Gajwel Mandal of Medak District in Andhra Pradesh of women empowerment through Self-Help Groups. Based on the analysis, a study revealed that there is a positive impact of Self-Help Groups on Women empowerment.

Diwan and Khalsa (2016)⁸ conducted study in Nagri block of Dhamtari district of Chhattisgarh. Study analysed the effect of self-help groups in lifting the economic status of participants in study area. The results indicated that SHGs have strong positive impact on improving the economic status and social status of the participating women.

Rupa (2017)⁹ studied the extent of women empowerment in Tumkur District, Karnataka. It was empirically established that asset position and standard of living of rural poor improved significantly after the micro credit utilisation.

Arora and Singh (2018)¹⁰ concluded in their research that SHG Bank Linkage Programme helped in improving the empowerment status of women economically, personally, socially as well as politically. It also enhanced the decision-making power of the women participants. Empirically it is stated that the participants of the microfinance programme are more empowered than non-participants.

Ruby et al, (2019)¹¹stated that a woman is said to be economically empowered when she gains power as a result of increased access to economic resources and other needed services. Achieving economic empowerment is increase in income, access to finance; ability to make decisions regarding the utilization of money/credit, etc.

3. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY:

The study evaluates the effect of demography on empowerment of rural women in relation to social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators of women empowerment with a special focus on SHG already linked with the bank linkage programme.

4. HYPOTHESIS:

H₀1: Age has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG:

H₀1a: Age has no effect on social indicators after joining SHG

H₀1b: Age has no effect on family indicators after joining SHG

H₀1c: Age has no effect on political indicators after joining SHG

H₀1d: Age has no effect on psychological indicators after joining SHG

H₀1e: Age has no effect on educational indicators after joining SHG

H₀2: Education has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG:

H₀2a: Education has no effect on social indicators after joining SHG

H₀2b: Education has no effect on family indicators after joining SHG

H₀2c: Education has no effect on political indicators after joining SHG

H₀2d: Education has no effect on psychological indicators after joining SHG

H₀2e: Education has no effect on educational indicators after joining SHG

H₀3: Marital Status has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG:

H₀3a: Marital Status has no effect on social indicators after joining SHG

H₀3b: Marital Status has no effect on family indicators after joining SHG

H₀3c: Marital Status has no effect on political indicators after joining SHG

H₀3d: Marital Status has no effect on psychological indicators after joining SHG

H₀3e: Marital Status has no effect on educational indicators after joining SHG.

H₀4: Type of Family has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG

H₀4a: Type of Family has no effect on social indicators after joining SHG

H₀4b: Type of Family has no effect on family indicators after joining SHG

H₀4c: Type of Family has no effect on political indicators after joining SHG

H₀4d: Type of Family has no effect on psychological indicators after joining SHG

H₀4e: Type of Family has no effect on educational indicators after joining SHG.

H₀5: Number of Family members has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG:

H₀5a: Number of Family members has no effect on social indicators after joining SHG

H₀5b: Number of Family members has no effect on family indicators after joining SHG

H₀5c: Number of Family members has no effect on political indicators after joining SHG

H₀5d: Number of Family members has no effect on psychological indicators after joining SHG

H₀5e: Number of Family members has no effect on educational indicators after joining SHG.

5. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

The present research is an empirical investigation to understand the effect of demographic profiles on women empowerment with reference to SHG-BLP. The present study is compiled with the help of primary and secondary sources. Primary data is collected from SHGs. The secondary data has been found in different books, journal magazines and online information. The study is confined to the women self-help groups under SHG Bank Linkage Program in Yamuna Nagar, Haryana. A survey was conducted and data collected from 347 SHG members using a questionnaire out of which 21 were rejected as they were incomplete. Data was analysed for 326 using ANOVA for age, education, marital status and number of family members and t-test for type of family.

6. RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

Demographic Traits and Women Empowerment:

Age and women empowerment:

For social indicators, F(3,326) is 2.750 with a significant value .043(p=.04); for family indicators, F(3,326) is with a significant value .023(p=.023); for political indicators, F(3,326) is 3.142 with a significant value .026(p=.026); for psychological indicators, F(3,326) is 4.708 with a significant value .003(p=.003) and for educational indicators, F(3,326) is 3.602 with a significant value .014 (p=.014). For all the hypotheses p value is less than .05. Therefore, hypothesis H₀1a, H₀2a, H₀3a, H₀4a, and H₀5a are rejected and it is a, concluded that there is a significant difference between means of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators after joining SHG and age.

Education and women empowerment:

For social indicators, F(5,326) is 2.616 with a significant value .025(p=.025); for family indicators, F(5,326) is 3.082 with a significant value .010 (p=.010); for political indicators; F(5,326) is 2.270 with a significant value .047 (p=.047); for psychological indicators, F(5,326) is 2.320 with a significant value .043(p=.043) and for educational indicators, F(5,326) is 2.320 with a significant value .013(p=.013). For all the hypotheses p value is less than .05. Therefore, hypothesis H₀1b, H₀2b, H₀3b, H₀4b, and H₀5b is rejected and it is a, concluded that there is a significant difference between means of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators after joining SHG and education.

Marital Status and women empowerment:

For social indicators, F(2,326) is 4.860 with a significant value .017(p=.017); For political indicators, F(2,326) is 3.396 with a significant value .035 (p=.035); for political indicators; F(2,326) is 3.405 with a significant value .034(p=.034); for psychological indicators, F (2,326) is 6.101 with a significant value .003(p=.003) and for educational indicators, F(2,326) is 4.860 with a significant value .008(p=.008). For all the hypotheses p value is less than .05. Therefore, hypothesis H₀1c, H₀2c, H₀3c, H₀4c, and H₀5c is rejected and it is a, concluded that there is a significant difference between means of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators after joining SHG and marital status.

Type of family and women empowerment:

For social indicators, t=.910, p value .364; for family indicators t=1.513, p value .131; for political t=.976, p value .500; for psychological t=1.508, p value .133 and for educational indicators t=1.408, p value .160. For all the hypotheses p value is more than .05. Therefore, hypothesis H₀1d, H₀2d, H₀3d, H₀4d and H₀5d is accepted and it is a, concluded that there is no significant difference between means of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators after joining SHG and type of family.

Number of family members and women empowerment:

For social indicators, F(3,326) is 3.370 with a significant value .019(p=.019); for family indicators, F(3,326) is 4.208 with a significant value .006 (p=.006); for political indicators, F(3,326) is 2.664 with a significant value .048 (p=.048); psychological indicators, F(3,326) is 3.024 with a significant value .030(p=.030) and for educational indicators, F(3,326) is 3.467 with a significant value .017 (p=.017). For all the hypotheses p value is less than .05. Therefore, hypothesis H₀1e, H₀2e, H₀3e, H₀4e, and H₀5e is rejected and it is concluded that there is a significant difference between means of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators after joining SHG and number of family members.

Table 1: Effect of demographic variables on Women Empowerment

Hypothesis	Results
H₀1: Age has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG	Rejected
H₀2: Education has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG	Rejected
H₀3: Marital Status has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG	Rejected
H₀4: Type of Family has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG	Accepted
H₀5: Number of Family members has no effect on women empowerment after joining SHG	Rejected

Source: Primary Research

7. CONCLUSION:

Various policies initiated by the government of India guarantee equal opportunities to women. SHG-BLP is a catalyst for change in women’s lives. The SHG movement has improved the lives of women. SHG is a source of inculcating saving habits, raising the standard of living of women. The present article explores the impact of the demographic profile of women of SHGs on their empowerment. The process of women empowerment is conceptualized in terms of social, family, political, psychological and educational indicators. All the indicators of women empowerment under study are significantly affected by age, education, marital status and number of family members, but not by type of family. In nutshell, research justifies the impact of SHGs on women empowerment with respect to demographic variables under study. It is suggested to focus on age, education, marital status and type of family when making policies regarding women empowerment.

8. REFERENCE:

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8. Diwan, N., and Khalsa, M. An Analytical Study on Determining the Effect of Joining the Self Help Group in Improving the Economic Status of Women in Nagri Block of Dhamtari District, Chhattisgarh. Int.J.Ad. Social Sciences. 2016; 4(2): 58-60.

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10. Arora, M., and Singh, S. Impact Assessment of Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Programme on Women Empowerment in the State of Himachal Pradesh, India. Amity Journal of Management Research. 2018; 3 (1): 66-80.

11. Ruby, Devassia, J., and George, A. Women Empowerment: Meaning, Characteristics and Dimensions. Southern Economist. 2019: 41-42.

Received on 27.03.2023 Modified on 22.05.2023

Asian Journal of Management. 2023;14(4):298-302.

DOI: 10.52711/2321-5763.2023.00048