Women’s Labour, Self-help Groups and Microfinance in a Neo-liberal World: An Interrogation of the Role of Self-help Groups in the Rehabilitation of Former Devadasis in Belgaum District of Karnataka

Abstract

This paper critically interrogates the role of self-help groups (SHGs) in the rehabilitation of former Devadasis in the Belgaum district of Karnataka. Over the years, SHGs have emerged as an economic enabler of upward mobility for women that also has positive social implications. Through the formation of solidarity-based associations of women who contribute to and receive microcredit, SHGs have paved the way for small-scale income generation and empowerment at the grassroots level. This arrangement enables those identities who do not have a verifiable credit history or are unable to provide collateral to access borrowings at reasonable interest rates. The Indian labour force participation is characterised by a high concentration of female labour in the informal sector. Several estimates state that over 90% of this sector is made up of women. The operationalisation of other identity-based burdens such as caste, class, race, ethnicity and disability stands as impediments in the way of upward mobility and participation in the formal sector. Given the context, this paper seeks to examine the impact of SHG formation and disbursement of microcredit as mechanisms to rehabilitate women who exited the Devadasi practice in the Belgaum district of Karnataka.