“Potential of organizing unmarried adolescent girls and young women into self-help groups for a better transition to adulthood: Findings from a cross-sectional study in India”
Outcomes: Gender‑Based Violence, Women’s Economic Empowerment
View SourceKey Social Norms Take-aways This study illustrates how gender norms and structural inequalities restrict adolescent girls’ and young women’s (AGYW) agency in rural India. Social norms that limit girls’ mobility, financial autonomy, and decision-making power are significant barriers. However, organizing AGYW into self-help groups (YWSHGs) creates a platform that enables shifts in these norms. Girls in YWSHGs had more progressive attitudes towards gender roles and were more likely to take collective action and make independent decisions, though attitudes toward domestic violence were more ambivalent. Norm change is possible but gradual, requiring sustained support.
Objectives The study aimed to assess whether participation in Young Women Self-Help Groups (YWSHGs) was associated with improved individual agency among unmarried AGYW aged 15–21 in Uttar Pradesh, India.
Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2016 with 872 unmarried AGYW (471 YWSHG members and 401 non-members) from 80 villages in two districts. The survey used structured tools measuring eight components of individual agency, including financial independence, decision-making, mobility, self-expression, collective action, self-efficacy, attitudes toward gender norms, and views on domestic violence. Logistic regression analyses controlled for socio-demographic variables.
Intervention Details YWSHGs were organized by an NGO targeting girls who were school dropouts and from SHG-linked families. Groups received training on financial literacy, menstrual hygiene, vocational skills, leadership, rights, and entitlements. The platform aimed to improve psychosocial outcomes and provide a safe space for life-skills development and peer support.
Results YWSHG members were significantly more likely than non-members to exhibit financial independence (OR = 2.29), take collective action (OR = 3.80), and have more egalitarian gender attitudes (OR = 1.43). Longer duration in YWSHGs was associated with higher financial independence, greater decision-making capacity, and collective action. However, the intervention did not significantly impact mobility, self-expression, or attitudes toward domestic violence, where justification for wife-beating remained high among members.
Conclusions Organizing AGYW into self-help groups can significantly enhance their agency and challenge restrictive gender norms, especially with longer engagement. YWSHGs serve as a viable strategy for promoting empowerment and enabling safer transitions to adulthood, though shifting deep-rooted norms around violence and mobility requires broader and more sustained interventions.
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