Purpose The purpose of the paper is to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis and systematic review to examine the research landscape of women empowerment through participation in self-help groups (SHGs), identifying the eminent contributors, intellectual communities and future research agenda in the field of SHGs and women empowerment. Design/methodology/approach The global works of literature related to the theme of SHGs and women empowerment between 1998 and May 6, 2022 were scanned for bibliometric analysis and systematic review. A total of 176 English language documents from the Scopus database were extracted. Bibliometric analysis is conducted using Biblioshiny and VOSviewer software. Findings This study finds that SHGs are paramount in achieving rural women’s empowerment multidimensionally. Found that India is the most contributing country with 136 documents, and Ranjula Bali Swain and Fan Yang Wallentin are the most cited authors in the research field of SHGs and women empowerment. In addition, the paper proposes a comprehensive conceptual framework to portray rudimentary antecedents of women’s empowerment achieved through participation in SHGs. Practical implications This bibliometric analysis, along with a systematic review demonstrating a framework encapsulating the principal dimensions of women empowerment and their indicators, will be helpful to practitioners, government, policymakers and researchers working in the area of SHGs and women empowerment. Originality/value This study recognizes numerous significant contributions by eminent scholars and presents a concise review of the literature for novice researchers working in the area of SHGs and women empowerment.

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This study synthesizes the existing literature on the impact of women's participation in self-help groups (SHGs) on their empowerment. The findings of the study suggest that participation in SHGs has a positive impact on women's economic, social, and psychological empowerment. SHGs provide women with access to financial resources, build their confidence and leadership skills, and create a sense of solidarity and collective action. The paper concludes that SHGs are an effective strategy for promoting women's empowerment, but also identifies the need for greater attention to the diversity of experiences of women across different contexts and the need for more rigorous evaluations of the impact of SHGs.