Women Empowerment through Self Help Groups in Tamil Nadu, India

Women have the right to live with dignity and freedom in the society. Empowered women contribute to the health and productivity of families and communities. In rural areas, empowering women is a challenge. Self employment is a crucial step to have a constant income and to remove the obstacles of poverty. A women entrepreneur is a recent phenomenon of late 1960's. Entrepreneurship can help women's economic independence and improve their social status. SHG acts as a media for the advancement of saving habit among the women by encouraging their involvement in entrepreneurial activities. They augment the fairness of women's status as participants, decision-makers and beneficiaries in the democratic, economic, social and cultural spheres of building empowerment.