Entrepreneurs are the backbone of a country’s economy, contributing to its prosperity and development to a large extent. With their enterprises, they are also the ones who identify the unmet needs of society and work to fill them with a meaningful and sustainable solution. It, therefore, may seem irrelevant whether the entrepreneur is a man or a woman.

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However, the scenario is a little different in India. A Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) data pertaining to the sixth economic census shows women comprise 13.76 percent of all the entrepreneurs in the country. The fact that women entrepreneurs of India have been leaders even in the global arena, the numbers are dismal and calls for addressing issues that act as shackles for women with an entrepreneurial dream.

Challenges Indian women entrepreneurs face

Finding a foothold in a patriarchal society is never easy for a woman. That holds true for Indian women as well. However, the following challenges faced by Indian women are more serious than others.

Lack of safe public spaces

First things first – even when a good number of people are working from home, entrepreneurs will have a different story to share. Going out for work and to build networks and relationships are an integral part of an entrepreneur’s life. That makes having a safe public space a prerequisite. However, even metro cities across the country cannot guarantee that.

The numbers issued by the National Crime Record Board (NCRB) in 2020 show Kolkata to be the safest metro city for women out of the 19 cities it monitored. The agency says that megacities like Delhi recorded 12902 cases of crime against women in 2019 whereas Mumbai recorded 6519 such cases. Though measures are being taken to address the situation, it is far from encouraging women to spend long hours outside their homes for work without worrying about their safety.

Poor access to finance

The deep-seated apathy of financial institutions has hurt the prospect of Indian women entrepreneurs to a great extent. Innumerable women have been rejected and many had to spend harrowing time waiting for the government to approve their loan requests, be that as a lone applicant or as a self-help group. Despite having success stories like Lijjatpapad run by Shri MahilaGriha Udyog, women still struggle a lot to convince the financiers of business. The government’s MUDRA Yojana that allows a collateral-free loan of INR 10 lakhs is one effort that is commendable.

Angel investors, PE funds, and incubators can play a significant role in addressing this gap by prioritizing women entrepreneurs in India.

Lack of higher education

Even though so-called less-literate or illiterate women have been the backbone of successful businesses, education plays an important role in fostering one’s entrepreneurial journey. In more than 70 years since independence, girls are yet to be free from the shackles of illiteracy. From less than 10 percent of the total enrolment in the 1940s, enrolment of women in higher education reached 48.6 percent in 2018-19.

Pressure to stick to traditional roles

One may wonder, what makes something that comes to men so difficult for women. The answer is the overt pressure to wear too many hats and the tacit one to stick to traditional roles. Since society is not yet ready to relieve women from kitchens and cradles, women have too much on their plate – 24*7*365 – and often with too little support from their families. No wonder they struggle to juggle which impacts their ‘performance’ as an entrepreneur.

The author, Dr Gauri Agarwal, is Fertility Expert and Founder of Seeds of Innocence and Genestrings Diagnostic Lab. The views expressed are personal

First Published:Feb 26, 2021 5:11 PM IST