33
secondary occupation. One reason for this very low average monthly income was
because a huge percentage of members were unemployed or were housewives as we see
later. As we can see from the table more than 50% of the members in Karnataka are not
working. They claim to be part of the SHG group for the social interaction, savings that
lead to internal loans and the interest amount that is divided.
6.2.2 Household Income
Household income gives a holistic picture of the potential earning capacity of the family.
The average number per family is around five. An understanding of the members’ total
income is very relevant to comprehend their savings potential.
Table 6.3: Tamil Nadu - Household income (monthly)
Primary
occupation
Secondary
occupation
Total
NREGA*
Mean
13,933.33
4,336.86
18,270.19
646.44
Standard
deviation
11,479.32
8,030.39
1809.116
Number of
observations
575
118
156
*SHG member’s income is part of household income, therefore not added in total separately. In case of NREGA
income, annual estimates are converted to monthly
