Abstract:
Microcredit is essentially utilised as the source of empowerment among the poor
women in both rural and urban areas of the Indian states. Based on a panel of the
Indian states for the period 2007 to 2014, our study examines the impact of women
empowerment via the number of women Self Help Groups and women employment
opportunities. Our empirical evidence finds that both are complementary to each other.
Furthermore, we notice that changes in percapita income and poverty rate influence the
scope for women employment and outreach of women SHGs across the Indian states.
Factors like increasing access to bank loans and female literacy also help improve the
women empowerment drive. The implications of the findings are discussed in the
paper.
