The present study was conducted in Ranchi district of Jharkhand to assess the social empowerment of Women Self Help Group members engaged in livestock rearing. Data were collected from 140 members of twelve randomly selected groups through structured interview schedule. The study revealed that majority of the members were middle aged, illiterate, belonging to Scheduled Tribe category, having small sized family, low level of extension contact and mass media exposure and possessing marginal land holding with agriculture as primary occupation. Half of the groups had taken pig rearing, one-third had taken goat rearing and rest (16.67%) had taken cattle rearing as their income generating activities with involvement of only some of the members in all. The study also revealed a leap of change in the social empowerment of the members after joining the groups. There was a positive and significant change in self confidence level, participation in decision making within family and social participation of the members. On the other hand there was a positive but non-significant change in economic independency, control over their income and participation of the members in decision making at group or community level

Keyword: Income generating activity; Livestock rearing; Social empowerment, Women Self Help Group;