Women’s empowerment is difficult to define because the determinants of empowerment are often context-specific. Economic advancement alone cannot be considered as empowerment if the prevailing social norms continue to deny women the freedom to make independent decisions outside the dictates of traditions. Shifts in attitudes and perceptions are crucial, particularly when evaluating how women internalize patriarchal norms and contribute, often unknowingly, to their continued reproduction in society. Drawing on qualitative data, this paper examines subtle but significant attitudinal changes along with the leadership and collective solidarity among rural poor women in the Mayurbhanj district of Odisha following their first experience of working together in handloom weaving centers established by the Mauna Dhwani Foundation. It argues that these women’s achievements, manifested through individual assertiveness, collective solidarity and leadership, represent genuine empowerment, especially within a deeply patriarchal and caste-stratified context where women have historically lacked autonomy and decision-making power.