Socio-Psychological Factors Empowering the Women to Join Self Help Groups - An Empirical Study based on Kudumbhashree, Kerala

Abstract

Globally significant movements have emerged in recent years to promote women's rights and empowerment. Days like International Women’s Day are additionally picking up speed. The Kerala government has implemented a number of strategies to raise women's status and give them the power to deal with the negative social and economic effects. This study investigates socio-psychological factors that have empowered women to join Self Help Groups in Kerala. It is based on 380 SHG women based on Kudumbhashree in the state of Kerala. The variables influencing women to join SHGs in Kerala are identified using factor analysis, and the relationships between the factors and decision-making practices are discovered using multiple regression. The result reveals that SHGs have a significant role in the overall empowerment of women. Also, social, economic, legal, and political empowerments have greater influences on the problem-solving and decision-making habits of women in Kerala.