Women's Empowerment and Mindset for Sustainable Economic Development

Er. Janrdhan Kumar; Dr.Rashmi Gujrati; Er. Ishwar Singh; Naginderpal Singh

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.