Does Microfinance Empower Rural Women? Empirical Study in Udaipur District, Rajasthan

Microfinance has come to play a major role in many gender and development strategies because of its direct relationship to both poverty alleviation and to the empowerment of women. Women are the most crucial elements of the social fabric and are playing a pivotal role in the socio-economic scenario of Rajasthan. Microfinance programs like the SHGs in India have been promoted for their positive economic impact and the belief that they empower women. Microfinance programs like the SHGs in India have been promoted for their positive economic impact and belief that they empower women. The survey was conducted on around 100 respondents from various SHGs of Udaipur district, Rajasthan and the analysis was done to study the empowerment of women through microfinance. The results strongly demonstrate that on an average, there is a significant increase in women empowerment of the Self Help Groups members. However, social backwardness, indebtedness and presence of other microcredit programs in the same or nearby villages have a significant positive influence on women’s participation in this program.