Empowerment Initiatives in Self-Help Groups and Women’s Economic Empowerment in Kitui County

Abstract

In spite of several government and development agency interventions meant to improve their standard of living, women in Kitui County still face economic disempowerment. Women’s involvement in economic activities has been impeded by high rates of poverty, restricted access to financial resources, and constrictive cultural norms. Prior research has examined women’s empowerment in general, but it hasn’t sufficiently examined how empowerment initiatives influence women’s economic empowerment through empowerment programmes within self-help groups (SHGs). This study aimed to ascertain how empowerment initiatives in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) impact women’s economic empowerment. Descriptive survey research design was used. Questionnaires were used to gather quantitative data from 402 SHG members. The data was analysed using multiple linear regression, descriptive statistics, and Pearson correlation. The results showed that women’s economic empowerment and empowerment initiatives had a strong positive and statistically significant relationship (r =.87, p <.05), with empowerment initiatives accounting for 76.2% of the variation in empowerment. Women’s ability to make decisions, manage their finances, and engage in productive activities were all improved by empowerment initiatives. The study concludes that empowerment initiatives in SHGs are important in advancing women’s economic empowerment. Based on the results, the study recommends that policy changes should be made to increase women’s access to resources, ongoing training, and reasonably priced credit. Policymakers, development organisations, and SHG leaders should enhance women’s economic inclusion in order to lower poverty levels in Kitui county.