An Analysis of Women Empowerment through Self Help Groups

The Government of India in quest of new social order and poverty free society drafted the constitution
with great emphasis on equality, liberty and fraternity. Self help groups are a small group of individual
members who voluntarily come together and form an association for achieving a common objective. Various
intervention approaches have been developed in order to address the needs of the women which ultimately
reveal modifications not only in social policy approaches to third World Development, state policies relating
to women but also in the overall economic policy of the country as a whole. The human development
reports of the UNDP published annually have declared that women’s empowerment is not merely important
but crucial if development is to be sustainable. In a developing society, women in particular and more
specifically rural and illiterate women never get portrayed as agents of change. In 1970’s there was shift from
the welfare to development of women. In 1980’s and onwards the shift took place from the development to
the empowerment of women. The major land mark in the field of women empowerment was brought by 73rd
and 74th Amendment Acts in the Parliament which brought 33% reservation to the women in the Panchayats
and Municipalities. These amendments have empowered about 1000000 women and gave them political
power for taking social, economic and other development measures for the all round growth of their women
counterparts.