INTRODUCTION:

Development alone cannot bring peace and prosperity unless social justice and gender equality are ensured. It has been well accepted that various development programmes have bypassed women who constitute about half of the population of the country. International conventions and conferences, legal enactments, constitutional provisions etc. highlighted the imperative need for gender equality and women empowerment. The rural poor, with the intermediation of voluntary organizations join together for self help to secure better economic growth. This has resulted in the formation of a large number of self help groups in the country, which mobilize savings and recycle the resources generated among the members.

SHG’s are necessary to overcome exploitation, create confidence for the economic self-reliance of the rural poor, particularly among women who are mostly invisible in the social structure. These groups enable them to come together for a common objective and gain strength from each other to deal with exploitation, which they are facing, in several forms.

The primary challenge facing women today is to increase their participation and become actively involved in decision. Active participation in social, economic and political would help in enhancing process of decision making and empowerment and it will also give women the desired self respect and social dignity and these of course, are the pre requisites of empowerment. Participation is the point where women are taking decisions along with men equally. Women empowerment is an ongoing process that enhances women’s ability to change those structures and ideologies that keep them subordinate and suppressed. This process enables women folk to gain more access to resources, better control over their lifestyle, effective role in household decision making, and greater autonomy.

On realizing this government of India from time to time through five year plans, has introduced various women specific development programmes to make women the equal partners in development with a view to enhance the status of women. . In this connection microfinance with self help groups play an effective role for promoting women empowerment. It is not only an efficient tool to fight against poverty but also as a means of promoting the empowerment of the most marginalized sections of the population, especially women.

There are many studies on women’s self help groups. J.P. Mishra, R.R. Verma and V.K.Singh (2001) in own study Socio-economic Analysis of rural self-help-groups Scheme in Block Amaniganj, District Faizabad (U.P.) for that study they had taken five SHGs, composed of 57 members as a sample. It was observed that participation of OBC members was more as compared to other castes in the study area. The highest percentage of SC caste members, was observed in group B, i.e. 64.5%, followed by Group A with 54.55 percent. In Group C, D and E there were no SC members. 80% of the members of group E were from minority group while 40% of the members in group C and 12% in group B belonged to general categories. Samar k. Datta and M. Raman, 2001, in own study, 30 SHGs were selected as a sample from Tirupati areas. There were cast composition of SHG, 60%were from backward class,34% from other caste and 6% were from scheduled caste. The SHGs under study were characterized by heterogeneity in terms of social and economic indicators.

P.Venkatarao (2009) in the study of Andhra Pradesh, the sample size of the study was 245 members of SHG. In that study except 8 respondents all other belonged to Hindu religion and about three fourths belonged to backward classes and few were from scheduled caste and other categories. Prof. s.k. singh and his research team has done work on ‘Micro Finance and Empowerment of Scheduled Caste Women: An Impact Study of SHGs in Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal. The study and 173 officials and non-officials, 224 SHG’s, 143 villages, 28 blocks and 7 districts to observe the socio- economic status of the scheduled caste women, participation in development programme and their impact on her condition in state.

The above studies, however, consider the overall women studies but more than studies based on mixed caste groups that is heterogeneous in terms of caste and socio-economic condition, and there are fewer studies on total scheduled caste women group. Thus In this paper tries to understand the decision making power of total scheduled caste group’s women before and after joining the group.

OBJECTIVES AND DATA COLLECTION:

The study is undertaken with some specific objectives 1. To study the functioning of self help group and 2.The decision making power of scheduled caste women at family, group and Community levels after join the group. For this the present study has conducted in one village of Allahabad district of Uttar Pradesh. The sample of two scheduled caste women’s Self Help Groups (SHGs) from a village, which was functioning from 1999, selected for the study. Both groups were belonging from below poverty line (BPL) and linkaged from the Kourihaar block of Allahabad. In this study the data were composed from primary and secondary data both. Primary data collected through observation, focus group discussion and interviews and the secondary data collected from meetings of SHGs, block, and the bank.

RESULT AND DISCUSSION:

Functioning of the Self-Help Groups

In these groups, all the SHGs members belong to the poor household, basically they are landless laborers. These groups are homogeneous in terms of scheduled caste. The average size of the group members consist 10-15 members and the monthly savings is Rs.50-100. Savings collected at the time of monthly meetings and all the members have a pass-book. The monthly savings deposit in nearby bank in the account of the group. The group elects three representatives like president, treasurer and secretary in the group for functioning of SHGs. The group leader is elected to conduct meeting of the SHGs. The meeting are held on once in a month on a fixed date and fixed place. The place of meeting determined in last meeting. Usually meeting held on every member’s home on every month. It was founded that in the meeting women prefer to meet generally at 12:00 p.m. as they are free from household work and agricultural work. When the all group member comes in meeting they discuss on disbursement of the loans, collection of the savings, recent issues of village. a record of loans , savings and fines are maintained by the group leader or treasurer. In some cases where the group leader is illiterate then facilitator of the group maintained the records. After that they sign on the register. it is founded that out of twenty members two member were literate and eighteen were illiterate, but out of eighteen four women member have learnt how to sign which shows the level of education and awareness. After this process a women who want to take loan from the group, say in the group then leader gives them loan from the collected money. If member’s need huge amount then group leader and treasurer go into the bank for taking amount and then leader announce for next meeting place.

Decision-making at family level:

The women’s role in household decision making was examined based on their involvement in decision making at household level. The decision making are education of children, reproductive decisions. Members expressed an increased role in household decision making as below-

Table.1

Decision making area’s	Before SHGs	After SHGs
Family member’s decision regarding Education of children
Husband	13	04
Wife	03	08
Joint	01	07
Mother in law	03	01
Total	20	20

Table-2

Decision making area’s	Before SHGs	After SHGs
Family member’s decision regarding Reproductive decision
Husband	03	02
Wife	07	11
Joint	05	05
Mother in law	05	02
Total	20	20

As regards to the participation in decision making in the family, before and after becoming a member in the SHG, table -1 shows the involvement in decision making process in family. It is observed that on education of children, thirteen husbands took decision before join the group while four husband after join the group. Three women and three mothers in law took decision on education of children before join the group but after join the group eight wives and one mother in law took decision after join the group. A one member took joint decision before join the group but it became seven after join the group. The result shows that women who belong from joined family, their mother- in- law took decisions, but after join the group members involve in decision making on education of children. On the other side a women who are from middle age (30-40) takes more decision after join the group. In short, after join the group SHGs women members actively involved in the decision making on which school their children should go and now committed the children should be in attending school. The economic empowerment in the form of independent earning makes the women to become serious about quality of education.

On reproductive decision, table-2 shows that three husbands took decision before join the group while two husband after join the group. In other side seven wives and five mothers in law took decision before SHGs but after becoming a member eleven wives and two mothers in law took decision. On joint decision five members took joint decision before join the group and it is five after join the group. As a result it could say that women’s involvement in household decision making increased after join the group.

Decision making at Community level: on community level there were some decisions are taken by the group members after join the group.

1) Pulse polio mission

2) Vaccination of children and pregnant women

3) Political decision making

1. Pulse polio mission:

It is observed that scheduled caste women involved in various activities like pulse polio mission.

They were not involved even less involved in pulse polio before joining the group. But after joining the group they go to near center of pulse polio or hospital for providing drop to their children.

2. Vaccination of children and pregnant women

Vaccination of children’s and pregnant women’s shows that the awareness level of rural women. It is found that when the members were not joining the group, they were unaware about vaccination of children and vaccination of pregnant women. But after joining the group they came every meeting at per month and discussed about these issues. Now they are aware about vaccination of children and pregnant women.

3. Political decision making

It is also observed that scheduled caste women taking political decision on community level after join the group which was not possible before SHGs because they were illiterate and they had little movement in the village from home to field, but after join the group they came to meeting regular and discussed in meeting about local politics. Thus now they are aware about local politics and take decision whom to give vote. When the member women were not the member of SHGs, it was decided by their husbands. In some cases it was totally the hand on their father- in -law. But now women member involved in decision on whom to give vote. In some cases scheduled caste women go to the near sarpanch to saying our village problems in the time of flood or drought. So it could be say that sc women are more aware and more involved in community problems after join the group than past.

Decision making at group level: The SHG strategy is to enable women to get organized, work collectively and take decisions and in that process they increase their empowerment level. The group approach, enable women to have more accessibility, take appropriate action, participation and gain control over the decisions for the overall development and welfare. There were three types of decision taken by the group members in the group meetings.

1) Decision on non-payment/late payment

2) Decision on who will takes loans and

3) Decision on replacement of the member

1. Decision on non-payment/late payment: The study shows that most of the members had attained the meeting regularly. Members meeting held on every month in every member’s house. All members reported saving with the group Regular. A group leader imposed penalty for not attending members or who are not paying debt or monthly saving. A member who are not disbursing the loans regular or paying late then group leader impose fines on them.

2. Decision on who will take loans: It is also found that group leader take decision that who will take loan after consulting with all members of the group. When all members and group leader were satisfied from the needy members then group leader give her loans in 5-10 installments on 2% interest rate. It shows that group leader takes decision that who will take loans.

3. Decision on replacement of the member: It is founded in the meeting that group leader can out any member any time from the group if they are not disbursing the loan of the group. For example in sc group , a women was not coming regularly in the meeting and not paying monthly saving thus group leader after consultations of the all members exit from the group and took up the new member on the place of that member.

CONCLUSION:

Women empowerment aims at enabling them to realize their identities, potentiality and power in all spheres of their lives. The real empowerment of women is possible only when woman involve in decision making process in family affairs, and increase access to economic resources, more strength and course for entering into the power structure. In the study on attempt has been made to understand the impact of SHGs on scheduled caste women. The analysis is based on an interview of twenty members of one village of Allahabad district.

The empirical finding of the study revealed that the scheduled caste women taking more decision after joining the group than past. They breaking traditional norms of society where men takes more decision in family but after joining the group they takes decision on education of children ,reproduction and so on which was always on the hand of men. Men consider their opinion now, so it indicates that now women involve in empowerment process. Overall, it can be said that there are some positive changes seen in sc women after joining the groups. The women had greater participation in development activities than past. In this sense women have gained power in all sphere of life.

REFERENCES:

1. J.P. Mishra, R.R. Verma and V.K. Singh (2001), “Socio-Economic Analysis of self-help groups scheme in block Amaniganj, District Faizabad (Uttar Pradesh, Indian journal of agricultural economics, pp.473-474)

2. Prof. S.K. Singh and his research team ‘Microfinance and Empowerment of Scheduled Caste Women: An impact study of SHGs in Utter Pradesh and Uttaranchal.

3. P.Venkatarao (2009), ‘Role of SHGs in the empowerment of women’ SEDME 36.1, pp.29-45.

4. Samar K. Datta and M. Raman, 2001, ‘Can heterogeneity and social cohesion coexist in self help group? An evidence from group lending in Andhra Pradesh in India, Indian journal of agricultural economics, vol. 56, no. 3, July-sep. pp.387-400.

Received on 06.09.2017 Modified on 15.09.2017

Int. J. Rev. and Res. Social Sci. 2017; 5(3): 143-146 .

DOI: 10.5958/2454-2687.2017.00015.6