Impact of Micro-Credit Programmes on Women Empowerment:An Empirical Study in West Bengal

Based on an empirical study in West Bengal, this paper attempts to examine whether women's involvement in the micro-credit programme through SHGs makes any positive change on women's empowerment that appears from the assessment on various indicators of power, autonomy and self-reliance, entitlement, participation, awareness and capacity-building. The study suggests that if women participating in the micro-credit programme through SHGs sustain for some longer period (eight years or more), such a programme might contribute to higher level of women's empowerment than all types of control groups under study.