Entrepreneurs

Women EntrepreneursProducts Relating to 'Women Entrepreneurs'

Women entrepreneurs:Normally women entrepreneurs face two sets of problems; they are general problems of entrepreneurs and problems specific to women entrepreneurs.

Finance is the “life-blood” for any business, whether it is big or small. However, women entrepreneurs suffer from shortage of finance on two counts. Firstly, women do not generally have property on their names to use them as collateral or obtaining founds from external sources. Thus, their access to the external sources of funds is limited. Secondly, the banks also consider women less credit-worthy and discourage women borrowers on belief that they can at any time leave their business. Given such situation, women entrepreneurs are bound to rely on their own savings, if any and loans from friends and relatives who are expectedly meager and negligible. Thus, women entrepreneurs fail due to the shortage of finance.

Most of the women enterprises are plagued by the scarcity of raw material and necessary inputs. Added to this are the high prices of raw material, on the one hand, and getting raw material at the minimum of discount, on the other. The failure of many women co-operatives in 70 decades engaged in basket-making is an example how the scarcity of raw materials sounds the death-knell of enterprises run by women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs do not have organizational set-up to pump in a lot of money for canvassing and advertisement. Thus, they have to face a stiff competition for marketing their products with both organized sector and their male counterparts. Such a competition ultimately results in the liquidation of women enterprises. Unlike men, women mobility in India is highly limited due to various reasons. A single woman asking for room is still looked upon suspicion. Cumbersome exercise involved in starting an enterprise coupled with the officials humiliating attitude towards women entrepreneurs compels them to give up idea of starting an enterprise.

In India, it is mainly a woman s duty to look after the children and other members of the family. Man plays a secondary role only. In case of married women, she has to strike a fine balance between her business and family. Her total involvement in family leaves little or no energy and time to devote for business. Support and approval of husbands seem necessary condition for women s entry into business. Accordingly, the educational level and family background of husbands positively influence women s entry into business activities.

In India, most of the women are still illiterate. Illiteracy is the root cause of socio-economic problems. Due to the lack of education and that too qualitative education, women are not aware of business, technology and market knowledge. Also, lack of education causes low achievement motivation among women. Lack of trust and lack of education creates problems for women in the setting up and running of business enterprises. Male chauvinism is still the order of the day in India. The Constitution of India speaks of equality between sexes. But, in practice, women are looked weak in all respects. Women suffer from male reservations about a woman s role, ability and capacity and are treated accordingly. In nutshell, in the male-dominated Indian society, women are not treated equal to men. This, is turn, serves as a barrier to women entry into business.

Women in India lead a protected life. They are less educated and economically not self-dependent. All these reduce their ability to bear risk involved in running an enterprise. Risk-bearing is an essential requisite of a successful entrepreneur.

In addition to above problems, inadequate infrastructural facilities, shortage of power, high cost of production, social attitude, and low need for achievement, unskilled, semi skilled and socio-economic constraints also hold the women entrepreneurs back from entering into business.

Article Published: Friday 7th December 2007