Assessing the Contribution of Women's Development Programmes to Financial Independence, Decision-Making Capacity, and Social Participation among Rural Women in Purba Bardhaman, Bankura, and Purulia: A Quantitative Investigation

Abstract

Women’s empowerment is a critical component of sustainable rural development and gender equality. In India, various women’s development programmes, including Self-Help Groups (SHGs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana–National Rural Livelihood Mission (DAY-NRLM), microfinance initiatives, and skill development schemes, have been implemented to improve the socio-economic status of rural women. The present study investigates the contribution of these programmes to financial independence, decision-making capacity, and social participation among rural women in the districts of Purba Bardhaman, Bankura, and Purulia of West Bengal. A quantitative descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. Data were collected from a sample of 300 rural women beneficiaries, comprising 100 respondents from each district, selected through a multi-stage stratified random sampling technique. A self-structured questionnaire based on a five-point Likert scale was used for data collection. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and One-Sample t-tests. The findings revealed that women’s development programmes significantly enhanced financial independence (M = 4.12, t = 33.45, p < .05), decision-making capacity (M = 3.98, t = 26.53, p < .05), and social participation (M = 4.05, t = 29.84, p < .05) among rural women. All three null hypotheses were rejected, indicating a significant positive impact of programme participation on women’s empowerment. The study concludes that women’s development programmes have played a transformative role in improving the economic status, autonomy, and social engagement of rural women. The findings highlight the importance of strengthening women-centric development initiatives for promoting inclusive rural development and achieving Sustainable Development Goals related to gender equality and social inclusion.