Role of Women-led SHGs in Advancing SDGs and Harnessing Social Dividends in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh

To create a conducive environment for community development through social cohesion, membership-based women-led self-help groups (SHGs) have been created by the Ministry of Rural Development, the Government of India, and the National Bank of Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) in the country since 1991. Globally, women encounter several obstacles in all spheres of their social and economic lives. Participation in the SHGs strengthens women’s self-confidence, autonomy, resource management, and political and legal awareness.1 The “2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” also refers to the inclusion of women in decision-making. In this study, we aim to analyze the impact of women’s membership in SHGs on their ability to uplift their communities through increased freedom of movement, access to social assistance schemes, and household-level decision-making. We collected primary data from women enrolled in SHGs in the districts of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh. We personally interviewed the sampled women about their household agency and decision-making power within the household. Our preliminary analysis shows that about 39.63% of women don’t have any say in making decisions, and only 16.26% of women can visit any place using any mode of transport. The findings show that the position of women in the SHG has a big effect on their ability to make decisions. The number of years of membership and the level of participation in the group activities significantly influence the mobility and accessibility of women. The use of the internet on the phone significantly impacts women’s decision-making. In the process, our study addresses the sustainable development goal (SDG).