Women Entrepreneurship through Self Help Credit Programme: Evidence From Jammu and Kashmir

Abstract

The paper intends to analyze the process of livelihood diversification and women entrepreneurship through self help credit programme (SHCP) under Integrated Watershed Development Project (IWDP), Hills-II, Jammu and Kashmir. The study has been confined to 275 women members of SHCGs comprising regular members (156), auxiliary members (76), and new members (43). Both quantitative and qualitative tools were used to analyze data. Empowerment was assessed by Weighted Mean Index (WMI) method. The study reveals that women’s role in enterprise and household decision making, their access to assets and control over self earnings have improved significantly among client than non-client group. SHCP has facilitated them to take decision for their personal needs, availing treatment, recreational facilities and participate independently in household decision making. However, SHCP should incorporate necessary steps to enhance empowerment of women irrespective of their duration in programme, types of economic activities, and marital status. In order to transform SHCP into a genuine livelihood diversification and gender strategy, women’s empowerment needs to be understood as more than a marginal increase in access to income, and/ or consultation in limited areas of enterprise and household decision-making and/or occasional meetings with a small group of other women.