Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme had helped women improve their social and economic status, according to a study by a university here.

The study by the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) showed that 97.3 per cent of workers under the scheme are women.

Conducted as part of a project on Impact Assessment Study of MGNREG scheme in Alappuzha District, the study was funded by Kerala State Institute of Rural Development.