International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Review

This paper primarily examines the contribution of indigenous support groups (ISGs) in widows‟ empowerment in rural Nigeria, especially as this has not been given due prominence in women development literature. Drawing from the utility, cultural and institutional perspectives of empowerment, we critically looked at the various contexts at which widows‟ empowerment can be evaluated. We went on to argue that the cultural institutional perspective provides better contexts for analysis of widows‟ empowerment in grassroots since it exposes the benefits of the widows „social networks and collective agency. We also argued that much like the economic capital (material provisions), the widows‟ social environment offer social repertoires that can facilitate much needed supports to them. An exploratory approach was used, and data were gathered through observation and semi-structured interviews of 48 widows in rural communities in Abia state Nigeria. The study revealed several characteristics that made the indigenous support groups distinct from the aid organizations, and shed light on institutional voids in the services of the aid- organizations.