DOES SYSTEMATIC MICROFINANCE ORGANIZE POSITIVE WOMEN EMPOWERMENT? AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS

Empowerment is the shift from a position of imposed incapacity to power. Microfinance along with Self-Help Groups (SHGs) is turning out to be successful in supporting empowerment of women towards improvement. The study has been conducted in the rural areas of District Cooch Behar, West Bengal, India for measuring women empowerment through microfinance and evaluates the betterment. Both primary and secondary data has been used for the study. Secondary data is collected from reports of NGO and other necessary report and documents. Statistical tools like Simple Percentage, Mean, Standard Deviation and ANOVA have been used. The result shows that Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are able and an issue of strong evaluation as it has come out as an efficient tool for reducing poverty with economic empowerment. Mainly with the analysis of secondary data, the paper stresses on the part played by Microfinance and SHGs in women empowerment and the larger impact it bears on the economic and social aspects of the beneficiaries.