Women Empowerment Through Microfinance-An Empirical Study of Women Self Help Groups in Tumkur District, Karnataka

In India, despite seven decades of independence and six decades of planned economic development, the achievement in the sphere of women empowerment still remains a challenge. At present, self-help Groups are playing a vital role in this direction. The participation of women in these groups is contributing to the significant impact on their social and economic empowerment. The current paper is undertaken to study the extent of women empowerment in Tumkur District, Karnataka. The information required for the study has been obtained from both primary and secondary sources. Stratified Sampling method has been used. Percentage Analysis, simple average and weighted average, Garrett Ranking Scale and ANOVA and Confirmatory Factor Analysis are also used to draw conclusions. The results of the study revealed that the asset position and standard of living of rural poor improved significantly after the micro credit utilisation.