New Horizons Fellowship: PhD Student from India Researches at HSBI on Self-Help Groups for Women in Socio-Economic Crises

Bielefeld (HSBI). When the economy and society are in crisis, people lose their jobs, incomes are reduced and access to resources is limited. Women in particular suffer from these challenges, as they are being disadvantaged socially and professionally in many cases – whether due to parental leave or gender pay gaps.

Vrinda Dave is a PhD sudent of Economics at Ganpat University in the Indian state of Gujarat. In her PhD she explores the question of how self-help groups are able to strengthen women in socio-economic crises. Dave is also a junior professor at GLS University in India. During her New Horizons Fellowship stay she researches at HSBI on self-help groups for women in Germany compared to India. She is hosted by Prof. Dr. Vivian Carstensen from Bielefeld School of Business.

“Promoting and Supporting Women Can Help the Economy in the Long Run”

Vrinda Dave is a PhD student of Economics at Ganpat University in the Indian state of Gujarat. “Self-help groups in Germany are very different from self-help groups in India, yet they actually pursue the same goal: they wish to empower women.” “Empowerment starts when different people come together, supporting each other in their challenges.” Empowering women is important not only from a social perspective.  It is also beneficial for the economy. Grassroots mechanisms, i.e. initiatives or strategies rooted in the population, such as self-help groups, are essential for this.

Dave found out that empowering women by self-help groups can have a positive impact on economic growth. First of all, such groups promote household’s wellbeing. In the medium term, they enhance productivity and ultimately a society’s resilience.  “Household’s wellbeing denotes a person’s wellbeing in their home with regard to satisfaction, health and quality of life.” Resilience relates to dealing with crises, shocks, resilience and changes. A higher productivity can increase the added value in production and services. This, in turn, benefits an economy’s prosperity and economic growth.

Self-Help Groups in Germany and India Are Largely Different, but the Same at Hear

In her study, Vrinda Dave focused on women who are exposed to domestic violence, limited mobility and social and economic disadvantage or even exclusion. These problems have resulted in the founding of self-help groups both in Germany and in India. To collect empirical data, PhD student Dave has surveyed a number of self-help groups with about 10 to 20 participants in both countries. The participants completed questionnaires which Dave evaluated quantitatively to be able to make statements about similarities, differences and unique features of the respective groups.

Taking a closer look at self-help groups in both countries reveals large differences. Vrinda Dave: “Self-help groups in India usually emerge from a community rather than through institutions.” The focus is on creating employment opportunities and livelihoods for women, in particular for those from rural areas, and on developing survival strategies during socio-economic crises. Women often receive so-called “microloans” – small loans – to get back on their feet financially. “The focus then is to support them in finding a job,” says Dave.  Stakeholders usually include the government, banks or non-governmental organisations (NGOs). An NGO is an organisation that is neither controlled by a government nor state institutions. Members advocate for issues independently of government influence.

In Germany, however, self-help groups are often more structured and institutionalised. The women concerned are, in particular, elderly women, women living alone, single mothers and female immigrants. Besides Deutsche Arbeitsgemeinschaft Selbsthilfegruppen e.V. (DAG SHG), stakeholders also include the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) or Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and several banks. Challenges such as mental health, social isolation, integration of immigrants or care work are in focus here. “Women who were ill for a longer period of time often face financial problems as well,” Dave explains. Self-help groups can help in these cases as well. “Once the social and health challenges are overcome, the focus is on financial stability. The women are helped to re-enter the workforce successfully.”

In addition, participants are usually offered leisure opportunities including common or sports activities. Mental health and rehabilitation after serious illness are even more important than financial or professional independence. However, essentially, both countries are concerned with empowering women in all areas of life, both financially and mentally as Vrinda Dave summarises: “Women shall be helped to become more self-confident, autonomous and independent.”

“Germany is like wonderland to me”

Dave’s first days in Germany were both overwhelming and rewarding. Dave: “Getting to know a new culture, environment and language is quite a challenge, but I was welcomed with open arms, which made it easier for me.” In particular, she likes the discipline and good work-life balance in Germany. She likes Bielefeld for its nature, its parks and well-developed infratstructure. “Germany is like wonderland to me. There are beautiful picturesque landscapes and historical architecture.” She particularly liked how sustainability is dealt with in Germany, especially at HSBI. And: “HSBI advocates for diversity and inclusion. I appreciate that very much.”

But what was particularly challenging? “Figuring out on which side of the road I have to stand to catch the right bus,” the PhD student says and laughs. Unlike Germany, India has left-hand traffic. But Dave always found her way, thanks to helpful colleagues. “Some situations were very confusing, but also funny.”

Bielefeld School of Business Benefits from Vrinda Dave’s Work

Prof. Dr. Vivian Carstensen from Bielefeld School of Business supported Vrinda Dave from day one. She is responsible for the teaching areas of economics, management and organisation. She helped the PhD student find her way around in this foreign country. As a host she supported Dave in the organisation, welcoming culture and integration into the faculty, including social events. She is also one of Dave’s supervisors, alongside Dr. Maurvi Vasavada and Dr. Suraj Shah from Ganpat University. She thinks the New Horizons Fellowship is a great asset to HSBI: “In my opinion, the fellowship’s success is based mainly on the close collaboration between the Welcome Center through Max Köster, the Faculty Coordinator for International Activities – Nermin Karaoglu –, the dean’s office and myself.”

Prof. Carstensen also sees Dave’s work as a benefit to Bielefeld School of Business. “Vrinda’s work is of great importance to the global challenge of the participation of women in the labour market, which is often too low, as is the case with other underrepresented groups. Accordingly, the interdisciplinary research focus “Work of the Future” (WoF) at Bielefeld School of Business benefits greatly from Vrinda’s project.” The plan is to submit joint applications in the future, first with a focus on research. In perspective, they will also incorporate student mobility between Bielefeld and Gujarat as well as common teaching formats.

Gender and Diversity Officer Prof. Dr. Katja Makowsky also had the opportunity to meet Vrinda and is enthusiastic about her work. Makowsky: “In her project, she researched a topic that is highly relevant from the perspective of supporting women. Her findings may also include suggestions on how women’s self-help groups in Germany can provide support.” Besides her occupation as Gender and Diversity Office, Prof. Makowsky is a professor at HSBI’s Faculty of Social Sciences.

Vrinda Dave chose HSBI because she likes the university’s openness to encourage collaboration between different faculties. While she is also intensively concerned with gender studies and diversity in her doctoral thesis, she was able to combine these topics with economic aspects in her project. The collaboration between HSBI and Ganpat University is to be developed further in the future. (sad)

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