Unsung Heroines Who Work from Dawn to Dusk

¿Investing in women's capabilities and empowering them to exercise their choices is not only valuable in itself but is also the surest way to contribute to economic growth and overall development" (United Nations, 1995). The relationship between women's empowerment and the socio-economic development has been a major theme in studies of any nation¿s overall development. For this purpose, the Self-Help Group (SHG) model was introduced as a core strategy for the empowerment of women, in the Government of Indiäs Ninth Five Year Plan (1997¿2002) and is one of the largest and fastest-growing microfinance programs in the developing world (Planning Commission, 2002). In recent times, women have contributed to a great extent towards the development of the economy. The trends in development has been in the entrepreneurial and income-generating activities undertaken by these marginalised women. In the light of the above observation, the research aims to study the awareness of functioning of registered Self-Help Groups among women in rural areas of Karnataka; the rate of employment generated through registered Self-Help Groups.