Women represent 50 percent of world population and receive 10 percent of the world income and own even less than 1percent of the world’s property. They suffer many disadvantages as compared to men in terms of literacy rates, labour participation rates and earnings. Empowerment of women has emerged as an important issue in recent times. The major strategies of women empowerment include social empowerment, economic empowerment, political empowerment and gender justice along with demographical justice (rural and urban). Empowering women particularly rural women is a challenge. Women are economically empowered through small scale entrepreneurship programme with the help of Self-Help Movement. Economic empowerment of women has led to the empowerment of women in several aspects such as socio-economic opportunity, property rights, political representation, social equality, personal rights, family development, and community development and at last the nation development. For rural women, economic empowerment through the concept of Self-Help Groups (SHGs) based on group approach to rural development is indeed a boon to the rural poor women who undertake viable economic activities on their own. Self-help groups (SHGs) are small voluntary association of the rural women from the same socio-economic background who work together for the purpose of solving their problems through self help and mutual help. The women organize themselves at the grass root level to find innovative solutions to the specific problems which develops self- esteem, self-reliance and self-confidence among them. It is the need of the hour to recognize the importance of SHGs and create awareness among the rural women in this regard. Thus, the present study highlights the role of SHGs as catalysts in empowering the rural women.
