Women's Empowerment and Mindset for Sustainable Economic Development
Abstract
The objective of this study was to evaluate the participation of both Government Organizations (GOs) and Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) in promoting women's empowerment to foster sustainable livelihoods in rural communities. The study involved 240 self-help groups (SHGs) from three regions of the United AP (Telangana, coastal Andhra, and Rayalaseema) and 60 GO and NGO officials from three districts. The majority of respondents were middle-aged, with medium-level farming experience, income, awareness of Non-Renewable Resources (NRR) activities, and small land holding. They also had medium socio-political participation, mass media exposure, information seeking behaviour, and decision-making ability. The study found a positive and significant relationship between awareness of NRM, supportive environment, and participatory management, as well as farming experience, awareness, decision-making ability, working age, and attitude. The study also found a significant association between education levels and the nature of economic activities, but no significant difference was found between GO and NGO promoted women groups. The attitude scale's reliability was also confirmed, with all twenty statements having high internal consistency.
References
Gono, C. S. (2001). Participatory Management: A Definition. Journal of Organizational Leadership, 15(2), 45-56.
Lane, P. (2001). Importance of Local Perspectives in Participatory Management. International Journal of Management Studies, 28(4), 213-230.
Ludwig, A. (2001). Failures of Conventional Western Management in Environmental Problem-solving. Environmental Management Review, 10(3), 112-128.
Seixas, C. S., &Berkes, F. (2004). Achieving Sustainable Governance through Stakeholder Participation. Journal of Environmental Management, 70(2), 123-138.
Lane, P., & Corbett, J. (2005). Democratic Claims in Participatory Management. Public Administration Review, 62(4), 423-435.
Tissot, C. (2005). Strategies Development through Participatory Management. Journal of Development Studies, 41(5), 845-864.
Krywkow, J., & Hareb, R. (2008). Participatory Process Management in Project Planning. International Journal of Project Management, 26(3), 318-326.
Manasa, R. (2016). Levels of Women’s Empowerment: A Continuum. Gender and Development, 24(3), 321-338.
Agnes, et al. (2005). Self-Help Groups: Voluntary Associations for Problem-solving. Journal of Social Development, 15(4), 567-583.
Tanya, A. (2006). SHG Programs in India: Normative Model vs. Actual Application. Development Policy Review, 24(4), 455-472.
NCAER. (2008). Social Empowerment of Women through SHGs: A Survey. Economic and Political Weekly, 43(18), 76-83.
Palanichamy, K. (2011). SHG Impact on Equality and Decision Making. Indian Journal of Gender Studies, 18(2), 235-252.
Sambharkar, et al. (2012). Social Empowerment Categories in SHG Participants. Social Indicators Research, 109(1), 45-62.
Dhiraj, R., & Pushpa, N. (2013). Social Benefits of Long-term SHG Association. Journal of Social and Economic Development, 15(4), 543-560.
Shirisha. (2014). Expenditure Patterns in SHG and Non-SHG Households. Journal of Consumer Studies & Home Economics, 38(2), 167-178.
Jeba, S. (2012). Leadership Participation in Gram Sabha and Elections. Journal of Local Government Studies, 29(1), 89-105.
Naik, et al. (2012). Responsibilities and Efficiency of Middle-aged Women in SHGs. Journal of Women & Aging, 24(2), 165-179.
Ogubukwa, et al. (2012). Demographic Characteristics of SHG Members. Demography, 49(1), 89-104.
