Archives of Current Research International

Self-Help Groups (SHGs) are an important institutional mechanism for promoting savings, financial inclusion, credit access and women’s economic empowerment. This study examined the saving behaviour and financial autonomy of women SHG members and assessed the association between saving consistency and control over household savings. A cross-sectional descriptive and analytical design with a retrospective six-month component was adopted. Data from 109 women SHG members were analysed using frequencies, percentages and a chi-square test. Most respondents (81.7%) had been SHG members for more than five years, and 75.2% attended meetings regularly. Individual bank-account ownership was reported by 78.0% of respondents. Regarding saving consistency, 37.6% always saved, 19.3% saved often, 40.4% saved sometimes and 2.8% never saved. Emergencies were the main purpose of saving (43.1%), followed by children’s education (32.1%). Nearly half (46.8%) reported an increase in monthly savings compared with the preceding six months. However, only 20.2% reported full control over household savings, while 77.1% reported partial control. The Pearson chi-square test indicated a statistically significant association between saving consistency and control over household savings, χ²(1, N = 109) = 9.769, p = 0.002, Cramér’s V = 0.299. Among regular savers, 30.6% reported full control, compared with 6.4% of irregular savers. These findings indicate an association, not a causal relationship, and highlight the importance of strengthening financial literacy, household financial decision-making and women’s control over financial resources.