Formal Education and Women’s Empowerment: A Study of Self-Reliance and Rights Awareness Among SHG Participants in Barrackpore Sub-division

Narayan Sardar Roy; Shnaoli Chakraborty Acharya

doi:10.55927/jeda.v4i4.453

Authors

Narayan Sardar Roy West Bengal State University
Shnaoli Chakraborty Acharya West Bengal State University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55927/jeda.v4i4.453

Keywords:

Formal Education, Self-Help Groups (SHGS), Women Empowerment, Self-Reliance, Rights Awareness

Abstract

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) have been established as an important tool for the empowerment of women, especially in rural and semi-urban areas such as Barrackpore, West Bengal. The present article explores the formal education level of SG participants and the interaction between self-reliance and rights awareness among 202 SHG members in quantitative terms and the effect of age, position in SHG and educational status. It found that age does not influence self-reliance and rights awareness (p >0.05), whereas leadership position (presidents, secretaries, cashiers) and higher educational level are significantly associated with both self-reliance (p <0.001) and rights awareness (p <0.001). A significant positive linear correlation (r = 0.851, p < 0.001) between self-reliance and rights consciousness confirms their interrelatedness, suggesting that integration of these dimensions in interventions might improve empowerment outcomes.

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