Role of self-help groups on socioeconomic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among rural women in Cooch Behar District, India
Received date: 2023-06-19
Revised date: 2024-02-05
Accepted date: 2024-06-05
Online published: 2024-07-25
This study examines the transformative role of self-help groups (SHGs) in the socioeconomic development of rural women in Cooch Behar District, India, and their contribution toward achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. In this study, we explored the effect of SHGs on rural women by specifically addressing SDGs, such as no poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger (SDG 2), good health and well-being (SDG 3), quality education (SDG 4), and gender equality (SDG 5). Given this issue, a cross-sectional survey and comparison analyses are needed to assess the socioeconomic development of rural women and their awareness level before and after the participation of rural women in SHGs. The survey conducted as part of this study was divided into three sections, namely, demographic characteristics, socioeconomic development, and awareness level, with each focusing on different aspects. A group of 400 individuals who were part of SHGs completed the questionnaire survey form. The results showed that the participation of rural women in SHGs significantly improved their socioeconomic development and awareness level, as supported by both mean values and t test results. Memberships in SHGs and microcredit programs were the major elements that boosted the socioeconomic development of rural women, which also achieves SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. This study revealed that participation in SHGs and related financial services significantly aided rural women in economically disadvantaged communities in accumulating savings and initiating entrepreneurial ventures. Moreover, participation in SHGs was instrumental in enhancing the self-confidence, self-efficacy, and overall self-esteem of rural women. Finally, doing so enabled them to move more freely for work and other activities and to make family and common decisions.
Debanjan BASAK , Indrajit Roy CHOWDHURY . Role of self-help groups on socioeconomic development and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) among rural women in Cooch Behar District, India[J]. Regional Sustainability, 2024 , 5(2) : 100140 . DOI: 10.1016/j.regsus.2024.100140
| [1] | Abebe T., 2008. Earning a living on the margins: Begging, street work and the socio‐spatial experiences of children in Addis Ababa. Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography. 90(3), 271-284. |
| [2] | Adamsen L., Rasmussen J.M., 2001. Sociological perspectives on self‐help groups: Reflections on conceptualization and social processes. J. Adv. Nurs. 35(6), 909-917. |
| [3] | Alkire S., Meinzen-Dick R., Peterman A., et al., 2013. The women’s empowerment in agriculture index. World Dev. 52, 71-91. |
| [4] | Al-Kubati N.A.A., Selvaratnam D.P., 2023. Empowering women through the Self-Help Group Bank Linkage Programme as a tool for sustainable development: Lessons from India. Community Dev. J. 58(2), 283-308. |
| [5] | Alsop R., Bertelsen M.F., Holland J., 2006. Empowerment in practice: From analysis to implementation. Danvers: World Bank Publications. |
| [6] | Anand P., Saxena S., Gonzales Martinez R., et al., 2020. Can women’s self-help groups contribute to sustainable development? Evidence of capability changes from Northern India. J. Hum. Dev. Capab. 21(2), 137-160. |
| [7] | Arora N., Chawla R.A., 2023. Empowering women through self help groups and women cooperatives - A tool for sustainable development. DME J. Manag. 4(1), 25-30. |
| [8] | Basak D., Chowdhury I.R., 2023. Exploring the impact of self-help groups on empowering rural women: An examination of the moderating role of self-help group membership using structural equation modeling. Glob. Soc. Welf. 10, 299-311. |
| [9] | Brody C., De Hoop T., Vojtkova M., et al., 2015. Economic self‐help group programs for improving women’s empowerment: A systematic review. Campbell Syst. Rev. 11(1), doi: 10.4073/csr.2015.19. |
| [10] | Cattaneo L.B., Chapman A.R., 2010. The process of empowerment: A model for use in research and practice. Am. Psychol. 65(7), 646-659. |
| [11] | Choudhury S.K., 2015. Empowerment of women through SHG and role of education: An analysis. Pedagog. Learn. 3(2), 96-104. |
| [12] | Cooper H., 2002. Investigating socio-economic explanations for gender and ethnic inequalities in health. Soc. Sci. Med. 54(5), 693-706. |
| [13] | Dahal S., 2014. A study of women’s self help groups and the impact of SHG participation on women empowerment and livelihood in Lamachaur village of Nepal. MSc Thesis. Oslo: Norwegian University of Life Sciences. |
| [14] | Daniyan-bagudu H., 2018. The impact of microfinance on women’s empowerment in Niger state, Nigeria. PhD Dissertation. Sintok: Universiti Utara Malaysia. |
| [15] | Dasgupta R., 2001. An informal journey through self-help groups. Indian J. Agric. Econ. 56(3), 370-386. |
| [16] | Dasgupta S., Wheeler D., Bandyopadhyay S., et al., 2022. Coastal dilemma: Climate change, public assistance and population displacement. World Dev. 150, 105707, doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105707. |
| [17] | Datta S., Sahu T.N., 2017. An empirical study on the impact of microfinance on women empowerment: Evidence from West Bengal. Indian J. Commer. Manag. Stud. 8(3), 53-62. |
| [18] | Daud K.A.M., Khidzir N.Z., Ismail A.R., et al., 2018. Validity and reliability of instrument to measure social media skills among small and medium entrepreneurs at Pengkalan Datu River. Int. J. Sustain. Dev. 7(3), 1026-1037. |
| [19] | Deaton A., 2008. Income, health, and well-being around the world: Evidence from the Gallup World Poll. J. Econ. Perspect. 22(2), 53-72. |
| [20] | Desai S., Jain D., 1994. Maternal employment and changes in family dynamics: The social context of women’s work in rural South India. Popul. Dev. Rev. 20(1), 115-136. |
| [21] | Dinakaran S., Verma S., Das S.J., et al., 2010. Investigations for obtaining enhanced SHG element of KH2PO 4 crystal. Physica B: Condensed Matter. 405(7), 1809-1812. |
| [22] | Drèze J., Sen A., 2002. India:Development and Participation. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
| [23] | Dyson T., Moore M., 1983. On kinship structure, female autonomy, and demographic behavior in India. Popul. Dev. Rev. 9(1), 35-60. |
| [24] | Emirbayer M., Mische A., 1998. What is agency? Am. J. Sociol. 103(4), 962-1023. |
| [25] | Gautam U.S., Singh A., Singh S.R.K., 2012. Participatory approach of women in agriculture: Vision 2025. Indian Res. J. Ext. Edu. 1, 38-42. |
| [26] | Hamad R., Fernald L.C., 2015. Microcredit participation and women’s health: Results from a cross-sectional study in Peru. International Journal for Equity in Health. 14, 1-10. |
| [27] | Jakimow T., Kilby P., 2006. Empowering women: A critique of the blueprint for self-help groups in India. Indian J. Gend. Stud. 13(3), 375-400. |
| [28] | Kabeer N., 2005. Gender equality and women’s empowerment: A critical analysis of the third millennium development goal 1. Gend. Dev. 13(1), 13-24. |
| [29] | Kandpal V., Nautiyal N., 2023. Women’s empowerment: Key for socio-economic development in India. Int. J. Bus. Innov. Res. 32(2), 260-279. |
| [30] | Kapoor S., 2019. Entrepreneurship for economic and social empowerment of women: A case study of a self-help credit program in Nithari Village, Noida, India. Australas. Account. Bus. Finance J. 13(2), 123-142. |
| [31] | Kilby P., 2010. NGOs in India: The Challenges of Women’s Empowerment and Accountability. [2023-05-11]. https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/34628. |
| [32] | Kumar N., Raghunathan K., Arrieta A., et al., 2021. The power of the collective empowers women: Evidence from self-help groups in India. World Dev. 146, 105579, doi: 10.1016/j.worlddev.2021.105579. |
| [33] | Mahajan V., 2005. From microcredit to livelihood finance. Econ. Polit. Wkly. 40(41), 4416-4419. |
| [34] | Mahendra Dev S., 2014. Small Farmers in India: Challenges and Opportunities. [2023-11-30]. http://hdl.handle.net/2275/262. |
| [35] | Maheshwari M., Goyal S., 2014. Role of self-help groups in socio-economic empowerment of women: A review of studies. Pacific Bus. Rev. Int. 2(7), 85-93. |
| [36] | Mayoux L., 1998. Women’s Empowerment and Micro-finance Programmes Approaches, Evidence and Ways Forward. [2023-11-30]. https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/295285?v=pdf. |
| [37] | Meena M.S., Jain D., Meena H.R., 2008. Measurement of attitudes of rural women towards self-help groups. J. Agric. Educ. Ext. 14(3), 217-229. |
| [38] | Mohammed N., Wiles A.A., Belsley M., et al., 2017. Synthesis and characterisation of push-pull flavin dyes with efficient second harmonic generation (SHG) properties. RSC Advances. 7(39), 24462-24469. |
| [39] | Mohapatra S., Sahoo B.K., 2016. Determinants of participation in self-help-groups (SHG) and its impact on women empowerment. Indian Growth Dev. Rev. 9(1), 53-78. |
| [40] | Murugesan J., Ganapathi R., 2010. Impact of micro-finance on economic status of members of the self-help groups. Asia Pac. Bus. Rev. 6(3), 74-87. |
| [41] | Nader Y.F., 2008. Microcredit and the socio-economic wellbeing of women and their families in Cairo. J. Socio. Econ. 37(2), 644-656. |
| [42] | Nayak A.K., Panigrahi P.K., 2020. Participation in self-help groups and empowerment of women: A structural model analysis. J. Dev. Areas. 54(1), doi: 10.1353/jda.2020.0001. |
| [43] | Niaz M.U., Iqbal M., 2019. Effect of Microfinance on Women Empowerment: A Case Study of Pakistan. [2023-05-15]. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3419834. |
| [44] | Nyagwanga G.N., 2016. Influence of self help groups on economic empowerment of women in Rongo Sub County, Migori County, Kenya. PhD Dissertation. Nairobi: University of Nairobi. |
| [45] | Patil S., Kokate K., 2017. Identifying factors governing attitude of rural women towards Self-Help Groups using principal component analysis. J. Rural Stud. 55, 157-167. |
| [46] | Prasad P.N., Sreedevi V., 2007. Economic empowerment of women through information technology: A case study from an Indian state. Journal of International Women’s Studies. 8(4), 107-120. |
| [47] | Rao S., Vlassoff C., Sarode J., 2014. Economic development, women’s social and economic empowerment and reproductive health in rural India. Asian Popul. Stud. 10(1), 4-22. |
| [48] | Roy S., Bose A., Basak D., et al., 2023. Towards sustainable society: The sustainable livelihood security (SLS) approach for prioritizing development and understanding sustainability: An insight from West Bengal, India. Environ. Dev. Sustain. doi: 10.1007/s10668-023-03456-x. |
| [49] | Sahoo A., 2013. Self-help group & woman empowerment: A study on some selected SHGs. Int. J. Bus. Manag. Invent. 2(9), 54-61. |
| [50] | Sarkar S., Malik I.C., 2019. Self-help group in West Bengal-PEST analysis. IOSR J. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 24(8), 42-50. |
| [51] | Siddeswari G.K., Gopal P.S., 2021. Factors influencing the entrepreneurial behavior of women entrepreneurs of self-help groups in Andhra Pradesh. J. Environ. Biol. 42, 524-533. |
| [52] | Sindhav K., 2017. Women empowerment through microfinance:A study of need, practices and future trends. PhD Dissertation. Vadodara: Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda. |
| [53] | Singh N., 2006. How to establish SHG-bank linkage: A case of Anarde Foundation. Asia Pacific Business Review. 2(2), 87-91. |
| [54] | Sivachithappa K., 2013. Impact of micro finance on income generation and livelihood of members of self-help groups - A case study of Mandya district, India. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences. 91, 228-240. |
| [55] | Sundaram A., 2012. Impact of self-help group in socio-economic development of India. IOSR J. Humanit. Soc. Sci. 5(1), 20-27. |
| [56] | Survase M., Gohil A., 2024. Empowering self-help groups: The impact of financial inclusion on social well-being. J. Risk Financ. Manag. 17, 217, doi: 10.3390/jrfm17060217. |
| [57] | Vejju B., 2018. Role of self help groups (SHGs) on women entrepreneurship in Andhra Pradesh. Int. J. Res. Manag. Econ. Comm. 8(1), 126-132. |
| [58] | Vijayanthi K.N., 2002. Women’s empowerment through self-help groups: A participatory approach. Indian J. Gend. Stud. 9(2), 263-274. |
| [59] | Wickramasinghe V., Fernando D., 2017. Use of microcredit for household income and consumption smoothing by low income communities. Int. J. Consum. Stud. 41(6), 647-658. |
/
| 〈 |
|
〉 |
REGSUS Wechat
新公网安备 65010402001202号