WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN INDIAN CONTEXT: An impact of Self Help Groups on women livelihoods in Pondicherry

This monograph is about the impact of Self Help Group in facilitating women livelihood. Ex-post facto research design was employed to measures women socio-economic empowerment, credit utilisation and its effects and also the factors for success and failure of the Women SHGs.Primary data were collected by interviewing 84 WSHGs members and 25 officials spread in 3 blocks of Pondicherry region. Secondary data were collected from available records from the implementing agencies. The impact on socio- economic empowerment was positive and statistically significant.This positive impact on economic and social empowerment of WSHGs could be attributed to increased accessibility to credit especially from banks and WSHGs. Cooperation among the members and prompt repayment of loan were the key factors either for success or failure of WSHGs in Pondicherry as perceived by members as well as officials involved in promoting WSHGs. The main cause for concern was that a sizable number (32%) of WSHGs members discontinued Income Generating Activities.