From Constrain to Capability: Factors Driving Tribal Women Empowerment through SHGs

In the current scenario, the empowerment of tribal women holds significant importance in confronting enduring inequalities and propelling the attainment of sustainable development objectives. Indigenous communities frequently encounter socio-economic marginalisation, with tribal women disproportionately affected by this disparity. Empowering tribal women is fundamental in fostering gender parity, given their pivotal contributions to their families, communities, and customary livelihoods. Moreover, amidst escalating globalisation and environmental crises, the imperative to empower tribal women intensifies, ensuring their inclusion in decision-making concerning land rights, natural resource management, and adaptation to climate change. Self-help groups are instrumental in empowering tribal women as they provide a platform for collective action, economic self-reliance, and community support. By participating in SHGs, tribal women gain access to financial resources, skill development initiatives, and valuable networks, enabling them to improve their socio-economic standing and advocate for their rights within their communities. Moreover, SHGs nurture leadership abilities and decision-making skills among tribal women, empowering them to confront challenges such as gender inequality and social exclusion. The paper aims to explore the perceptions of SHG members from five scheduled areas in Himachal Pradesh regarding 49 statements related to various aspects of tribal women's empowerment. It seeks to consolidate these numerous statements into groups based on their intercorrelation using the PCA method of factor analysis, to gain meaningful insights into the role of SHGs in the lives of these tribal women. The results of the systematic factor analysis using Principal Component Analysis and Varimax Rotation with Kaiser Normalization identify ten key factors. The most significant factor in empowering tribal women works out to be the improvement in skills, awareness, and knowledge. Other major factors include enhanced family conditions through better access to facilities, financial independence, and greater involvement in financial decisions. Additionally, community engagement, economic advancement, self-awareness, political awareness, knowledge of rights, and education and training are crucial components for analysing the impact of Self-Help Groups on tribal women's empowerment. By further analysing the ten driving factors identified in this study, a more systematic approach can be developed to assess the capability of these social groups to impact the lives of tribal women. This will allow for a precise evaluation of their overall empowerment through participation in SHGs.