Women Empowerment

Women bear an unequal share of the burden of poverty globally, due to societal and structural barriers to equality. One way that governments, development agencies, and grassroots women’s groups have tried to address these inequalities is through women’s self-help groups (SHGs). However, it is not clear whether and to what extent these groups empower women. SHGs are small voluntary groups that are formed by people related by an affinity for a specific purpose who provide support for each other. They are created with the underlying assumption that when individuals join together to take action toward overcoming obstacles and attaining social change, the result can be individual and/or collective empowerment. SHG members typically use savings, credit, or social involvement strategies as instruments to stimulate empowerment. The types of SHGs that exist in developing countries are numerous and can include economic, legal, health, and cultural objectives.