make a case study of the benefits the women derive from the work done by their self-help groups
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Answer:
In the early decades of planning problems of women were looked upon as problems of
social welfare, rather than of development. The drawback of the welfare approach was that
it did nothing to eliminate the social discrimination against and subordination of women. In
almost all plans for poverty alleviation and social change, disadvantaged women became a
‘target’ in developmental activities rather than a group to be co-opted as active participants
(Beijing Conference, 1996). Since 1970, policy makers and academicians started thinking
as to how development programmes could be linked to poor women. Women issues are
development issues and by-passing them in development programmes means leaving almost
half of human resources outside development intervention (CIRDAP Development Digest,
1998). Issues of poverty among women are quite distinct and complicated. Their general
poverty conditions, morbidity, lack of food, drinking water, and sanitation facilities are
some of the major issues that need attention. Female members of a poor household are often
worse off than its male members because of gender discrimination in the distribution of
food and other entitlements within the household. ‘Increasingly poverty has a woman’s
face’ (Human Development Report, 1995). The Human Development Reports of UNDP
from 1990 onwards attest to the fact of growing feminisation of poverty.