Studying female entrepreneurs and the challenges they face while starting up

Abstract

As per the study conducted by PRATHAM for NITI Aayog, there is a growing aspiration among people (around 70 percent) living in rural or semi-urban areas to become self-employed entrepreneurs. Factors that create an entrepreneur are influenced by various aspects, including gender, age and socioeconomic conditions. However, the parameters of assessing risk and reward are noticeably different for male and female entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs generally face additional risks of social taboo and avoidance while pursuing their business ideas. According to an AWE report released in October 2020, entrepreneurship is also a metric of female participation, or microbusiness owners –“solopreneurs”. Empirical evidence and statistics say that women make better entrepreneurs and are successful in imparting effective leadership to teams and companies. Thus, we wanted to explore the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in India socially, financially and otherwise.