Role of Kudumbashree neighbourhood groups on economic empowerment of women in Kerala

Abstract

In Kerala in recent time, the empowerment of women can be closely connected with the state sponsored community-based organization, Kudumbashree, which has existed for 20 years and has shown much influence on 4.3 million women members. For this reason, Kudumbashree gets so much attention from researchers and scholars from India. This study mainly focused on the women's social, political, and economic empowerment in various perspectives. This research was done with an objective to figure out how Kudumbashree Neighborhood Groups (NHGs) influence its members for the economic advancement and sustainability within their households. The research was carried out in Kadampanad Panchayat in Pathanamthitta District of Kerala. Qualitative and quantitative methods such as personal interviews, focus group discussions, and a field survey was employed for data collection. The results of the study indicated that Kudumbashree's role in economic empowerment of their members was considerably low however it still has influence on its members' life. Kudumbashree's effective interventions change the societal mind set of women and their empowerment in public domain, but the control over power and utilization in households still remain from patriarchal clutches and deep rooted cultural beliefs.