Challenges faced by women self-help group members in marketing: Evidence from Malda district, West Bengal

Abstract:

Microfinance delivered through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) has emerged as a pivotal strategy for simultaneously addressing poverty alleviation and women’s empowerment in rural India. An SHG is generally defined as a small, voluntary, and homogeneous association comprising 10–20 individuals from economically weaker sections of society. These groups promote incomegenerating activities through collective savings, institutional credit access, and entrepreneurial engagement. The SHG model strengthens financial discipline, promotes self-reliance, and enhances the socio-economic status of rural women.Members of SHGs are often provided with capacity-building training aimed at improving their managerial competencies, entrepreneurial abilities, and self-confidence. Such interventions enable women to undertake diverse incomegenerating activities including mushroom cultivation, tailoring, pickle processing, dairy farming, handicraft preparation, and value-added agricultural enterprises. Despite these efforts, several challenges continue to hinder the sustainability and profitability of SHG enterprises, particularly in the domain of product marketing and market linkage development. The present study was conducted by Malda Krishi Vigyan Kendra (K.V.K.), Ratua, Malda, in selected rural areas of Malda district, West Bengal, to assess the marketing-related challenges faced by women SHG members and to evaluate the impact of training on their livelihood activities and financial practices. Primary data were collected through a structured interview schedule from 40 women SHG members, comprising 20 respondents from Rukundipur village and 20 respondents from the NICRA adopted village Paschim Narayanpur of Malda district. The study revealed that inadequate market awareness, poor branding and packaging, limited financial support, lack of modern marketing skills, and insufficient digital marketing knowledge were the major constraints affecting SHG sustainability and enterprise growth. The findings further indicate that participation in SHGs significantly improved women’s psychological, social, economic, and political empowerment by enhancing self-confidence, financial inclusion, decision-making ability, and entrepreneurial participation.In India, SHGs contribute substantially to rural economic development and women’s empowerment by promoting entrepreneurship and financial inclusion. Findings from the West Bengal Women’s Development initiatives indicate that SHG participation enhances institutional interaction, mobility, leadership ability, and economic independence among rural women. The present study emphasizes the need for regular capacity-building programmes, market-oriented training, institutional support, improved packaging, digital marketing exposure, and stronger market linkages to ensure the long-term sustainability of women-led SHG enterprises.