Profile and group dynamics effectiveness of women SHG members in Nagpur district of Maharashtra

Introduction

Self Help Groups (SHGs) are small, informal associations generally consisting of 10-20 members from similar socio-economic backgrounds. These groups are formed voluntarily to encourage regular savings, mobilize financial resources, and support the economic and social development of their members through collective efforts (NABARD, 2018). SHGs are also viewed as voluntary organizations of individuals sharing common social backgrounds, traditions, caste, or occupations, who unite to achieve shared objectives and improve their overall livelihood (Kumar, 2011) [8] . Group dynamics refers to the interactions and relationships among individuals within a group and the forces that influence these interactions (Lewin, 1936) [9] . It encompasses the internal functioning of a group, including its formation, structure, processes, functioning, and influence on individual members, other groups, and organizations (Lewin et al., 1960) [10] . Despite its importance, the dynamics of self-help groups (SHGs) have received comparatively limited attention. Therefore, it is important to examine the functioning and dynamics of SHGs to understand whether their formation represents only a temporary trend or whether they can sustain their activities and effectiveness over the long term. Various socio-economic, communication and psychological characteristics of SHG members may influence the effectiveness of group dynamics. In the present study, variables such as age, education, annual income, marital status, farm size, source of information, social participation, extension participation, economic motivation, achievement motivation, attitude towards SHG, attitude towards collectivism and attitude towards group decision-making were considered as independent variables. These characteristics were examined to understand their relationship with the overall group dynamics effectiveness of SHG members. The study of group dynamics provides an understanding of the internal functioning of a group and the forces that influence its effectiveness. These interrelated factors play an important role in shaping the functioning and performance of members within self-help groups. Therefore, examining group dynamics is essential for understanding the effectiveness and sustainability of women's self-help groups. In view of this, the present study was undertaken to assess the group dynamics effectiveness of women self-help groups and to identify the socio-economic, communicational and psychological variables associated with and contributing to their overall group dynamics effectiveness in Nagpur district of Maharashtra.

Methodology

The present study was conducted in Nagpur district of Maharashtra. Out of the fourteen talukas of Nagpur district, three talukas, namely Hingna, Kamptee and Kalmeshwar, were selected randomly. From each selected taluka, two villages were selected based on the presence of active and larger numbers of self-help groups. From the selected villages, twelve active self-help groups were selected, and ten members from each selected SHG were selected randomly as respondents. Thus, a total of 120 SHG members were selected for the study. The socio-economic, communication and psychological variables were studied to know the profile of SHG members. The data was collected through the personal interview method and analysed using mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages for drawing meaningful interpretations, with the respondents being categorized into different levels based on the arbitrary method. The SHG members were distributed into different categories based on their selected profile characteristics and the results was presented in the Table 1.

Results and Discussion

Age: More than half of the SHG members (51.66%) belonged to the middle-age group, followed by young (29.17%) and old-age (19.17%) groups. This may be because middle-aged women generally possess greater social experience, family responsibilities and awareness of group activities, which may encourage their participation in self-help groups. This finding is supported by Varun Raj (2023) [18] and Dorisa (2023).

Education: Nearly half of the SHG members (49.17%) had secondary-level education, followed by higher secondary (23.33%), graduate and above (10.84%), middle (8.33%) and primary (8.33%) levels. This may be attributed to limited access to higher educational facilities, financial constraints and early family responsibilities, which may have restricted women's education beyond the secondary level. This finding is supported by Patil (2019) [15] and Dorisa (2023).

Annual income: More than half of the SHG members (51.67%) had an annual income of Rs. 2,00,001 to Rs. 4,00,000. This may be because most members depend on small-scale farming and supplementary income-generating activities, which provide moderate household income. This finding is supported by Varun Raj (2023) [18] .

Marital status: A large majority of the SHG members (82.50%) were married, followed by widows (11.67%) and unmarried members (5.83%), while none were divorced. This may be because married women constitute a major proportion of the adult female population and actively participate in SHGs to support their families and improve household economic well-being. This finding is supported by Rawat (2014) [17] , Nimisha and Arumugam (2019) [14] and Dorisa (2023).

Farm size: More than half of the SHG members (52.50%) belonged to the small landholding category, followed by marginal (23.33%), semi-medium (16.67%) and medium (7.50%) categories. This may be because landholdings in the study area are generally fragmented and limited, with most households depending on small-scale farming and allied activities for their livelihood. This finding is supported with Bariya (2016) [3] and Patil (2019) [15] .

Sources of information:

More than half of the SHG members (59.13%) had a medium level of source of information, followed by low (23.33%) and high (17.50%) levels. This may be because members have moderate access to information through fellow SHG members, extension personnel, mobile phones and mass media, but their exposure to diverse and regular information sources may be limited. This finding is supported by Manasa (2016) [11] and Nair et al. (2021) [13] .

Social participation:

A large majority of the SHG members (73.33%) had a medium level of social participation, followed by high (16.67%) and low (10.00%) levels. This may be because SHG membership provides women with regular opportunities to interact with other members, participate in group activities and engage in community programmes, resulting in moderate social involvement. This finding is supported with Arunkumar (2015) [1] and Dorisa (2023).

Extension participation: More than half of the respondents (60.83%) had a medium level of extension participation, followed by low (22.50%) and high (16.67%) levels. This may be because SHG members have moderate opportunities to interact with extension personnel and participate in training programmes, demonstrations and other extension activities related to their livelihood. This finding is supported with Bariya (2016) [3] and Dorisa (2023).

Economic motivation:

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63.33%) had a medium level of economic motivation, followed by high (25.00%) and low (11.67%) levels. This may be because most members join SHGs with the objective of improving household income and livelihood opportunities, while their economic aspirations are influenced by their existing resources and family responsibilities. This finding is supported by Bhatt (2010) and [2] Dorisa (2023).

Achievement motivation:

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (61.67%) had a medium level of achievement motivation, followed by high (21.67%) and low (16.66%) levels. This may be because SHG members have a moderate desire to achieve better economic and social outcomes, while their motivation is influenced by their available resources, experience and opportunities. This finding is supported with Bariya (2016) [3] and Goswamy et al. (2023) [9] .

Attitude towards SHG:

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (65.00%) had a medium favourable attitude towards SHGs, followed by highly favourable (20.83%) and less favourable (14.17%) attitudes. This may be because regular participation in SHG activities provides members with benefits such as savings, access to credit, mutual support and income-generating opportunities, resulting in a generally favourable attitude towards SHGs. This finding is supported by Jeba (2012) [7] , Patil (2019) [15] , and Dorisa (2023).

Attitude towards collectivism:

Nearly two-thirds of the respondents (63.34%) had a medium favourable attitude towards collectivism, followed by highly favourable (20.83%) and less favourable (15.83%) attitudes. This may be because SHG activities encourage members to work collectively, share responsibilities and support one another, resulting in a moderately favourable attitude towards collective action. This finding is supported by with Pragya (2022).

Attitude towards group decision making:

Nearly twothirds of the respondents (65.00%) had a medium favourable attitude towards group decision-making, followed by highly favourable (19.17%) and less favourable (15.83%) attitudes. This may be because regular SHG meetings provide members with opportunities to discuss issues, share opinions and participate in collective decisions, thereby developing a favourable attitude towards group decision-making. This finding is supported by with Pragya (2022). [4] and Patil (2019) [15] .

Conclusion

The findings of the study revealed that the majority of SHG members were middle-aged, had secondary-level education and belonged to the small landholding category. More than half of the respondents belonged to the medium-income group, while a large majority were married. Regarding social and communication characteristics, most of the respondents had medium levels of source of information, social participation and extension participation. Similarly, medium levels of economic motivation and achievement motivation were observed among the majority of the respondents. The respondents generally exhibited a medium favourable attitude towards SHGs, collectivism and group decision-making. Overall, more than half of the respondents exhibited high to very high levels of group dynamics effectiveness, indicating effective participation, cooperation, interaction and collective functioning among the SHG members.

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