Women in Business: Indian Experience

Abstract

Women Entrepreneurship is no more a new phenomenon. Though the transformation has been slow, the changing social and economic scene encouraged women to venture out to take up jobs to share financial responsibilities of the family. The scarcity of suitable employment opportunities, non-flexibility of working hours, limited publicity and a desire for social and economic independence made women look for newer avenues for income generation and self-expression through careers in business and industry, Though, business owned and managed by women constitute a very small percentage of the total, women have emerged as entrepreneurs in their own right; and their enterprises are no longer confined to making of garments, pickles and spice powders. And yet, even today there are misconceptions, apprehensions and suspicious about women entrepreneurs. This is a result of inadequate literature about Indian Women entrepreneurs. This dearth of documentation and information about these women prompted EDI to launch a study.