Schedule caste women empowerment through SHGs in Mirzapur district of the Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

Farm women act as backbone of agricultural work force in rural India. Schedule Caste women are at the last in getting the benefit in the society despite their considerable contribution to the family livelihood maintenance. These women involve in livestock farming and act as agricultural laborers to contribute the livelihood of their family. Self Help Group movement made some perceptible transformation in empowering these economically and socially deprived women. The study was carried out among 100 Schedule Caste women, who were member of SHG at least for three years, from Mirzapur district of Uttar Pradesh, as this district selected randomly among the backward districts of the state. Results showed that majority of the schedule caste women perceived that their overall empowerment was in medium level. Beside this their economic and psychological empowerment found to be prominent. It was also found that social participation, Cosmopoliteness, Innovativeness, Knowledge level in livestock farming, Market intelligence and Credit utilization were the major factors affecting significantly and positively to the overall empowerment level of the schedule caste women of SHGs.