Vol. 11, Special Issue 5 (2022)

Author(s):
Farhin Islam, Sanjay Kumar and Vikas Singh

Abstract:
Women empowerment through self-help group constitutes an emerging and fast-growing trend towards social and economic development of the nation. Self Help Group (SHG) is one of the innovative and much needed concepts to accelerate the women entrepreneurship, women self-employment and women empowerment. The present study was conducted to explore the impact of women Self Help Group on women empowerment through income generation, increased communication skill, decision making ability and awareness and enhanced social status. The study was conducted in Cooch Behar-I block of Cooch Behar district. The multi-stage, purposive and simple random sampling procedures were followed in the present study. The district was selected purposively and blocks, gram panchayats and respondents were selected randomly. The total number of respondents for the study was one hundred e (100) women SHG members. The impact of women SHG in terms of change in income, change in communication skill, awareness, decision making ability, empowerment and social status after joining women SHG towards women empowerment was the predicted or consequent or dependent variable in the present study. The principal intangible benefit of the women SHG members in the study area is removal of social exclusion/parda. The major micro-enterprise the women SHG members associated with is related to agriculture. The major problem of the women SHG members in the study area is improper training facility.