Impact of Financial Inclusion on Women’s Economic Empowerment: Evidence from Self Help Group-Bank Linkage Programs in West Bengal

The present research paper explores the role of financial inclusion in fostering women's economic empowerment in the state of West Bengal, India, focusing on the Self-Help Group-Bank Linkage Programs (SHG-BLP).Utilizing data consisting of a sample of 500 women who are either participants or non-participants of SHG-BLP, this paper examines the association of holding a bank account, that is, Financial Inclusion, with indicators of economic empowerment, such as owning a business, asset acquisition, income levels, with controlling socio-demographic factors of age and education.The key statistical tests that have been used, namely the Chi-Square test, Mann-Whitney U tests, Kruskal-Wallis test and Logistic Regression, reveal significant positive associations between financial inclusion and these empowerment outcomes, pointing out the potential of inclusive financial services for sustainable development with reduced gender disparities.Results indicate that targeted financial inclusion policies are required to enhance women's economic independence.