women entrepreneurs threat and opportunity identification in Jaipur

1. Page 1
ABSTRACT
1. Purpose –
Purpose of this paper is to examine the interplay of constraints and opportunities affecting female
entrepreneurship in India. The paper integrates salient micro and macro level perspectives and
provides a rounded account of opportunities and constraints as part of a holistic interdependent
system.
2. Design/methodology/approach –
The paper adopts an integrative multi-level research design and an interpretive research
methodology, capitalizing on in-depth interviews with women entrepreneurs to explore their
perceptions and interpretations of constraints and opportunities facing female entrepreneurship in
Jaipur.
3. Findings –
The findings presented in this paper clearly illustrate the relevance of micro and macro level
factors in entrepreneurship research and the usefulness of integrating multiple lens and units of
analysis to capture the complexity of the women entrepreneurship experience in any particular
context.

2. Page 2
LITERATURE REVIEW
A number of studies have been conducted in India and aboard focusing on problems faced by
women entrepreneurs including financial one. In the following paragraphs, a review of studies
relating to problems and challenges of women entrepreneurs has been done.
 While studying women entrepreneurs of Jaipur region, I found that women entrepreneurs
were managing their business successfully. But none of them utilized 100 % production
capacity. It was found that micro and macro level factors play a significant impact on
entrepreneurship.
 Some of the women responded that it was very difficult to start and manage the business
venture as a woman independently. Other problems reported by them were related to
financing and marketing.
 Lack of training was also one of the major constraints. Problems are classified into
personal, social and economic categories.
o Lack of experience, lack of business exposure, and conservative attitude towards
risk were reported to be personal problems.
o Among social problems was male domination, unwritten rules of society and
family responsibilities.
o Lack of economic power, no right over property, dependence on male members
on banking and such others were the economic problems faced by women
entrepreneurs.
 The ranking given to problems by selected respondents was as Financial problems,
Marketing problems, Production problems, Socio-Personal problems, problems of
Government Assistance and Managerial problems. Women were often the main
economic agents to ensure the survival of a poor family. Hence, women get empowered if
they are led towards entrepreneurship.
 Most of the women entrepreneurs in all groups had arranged their own funds, borrowing
from friends or relatives but did not approach any financial institution.
 The study found that women entrepreneurs face lots of problems at start-up as well as
operating stage like, role conflict, lack of motivation, lack of finance, maintaining
balance between work and family life, discriminating treatment, understanding
government rules and regulations, etc.
 Further, it is noted that these women entrepreneurs are both “willing” as well as “forced”
entrepreneurs. For some of them, factor motivating to start their own enterprise is to
support family financially, while for some of them it is the urge to be economically
independent.

3. Page 3
CONTENTS:
S.No Topics Page no.
1 Abstract …………………………………………………………… 1
2 Literature review…………………………………………………... 2
3 Introduction………………………………………………………... 4
4 Concept Of Entrepreneurship And Women Entrepreneurs………..
 Status of women entrepreneurs in India……………………
 Assistance To Women Entrepreneurs In Rajasthan………..
5
5 Factors affecting female entrepreneurship………………………… 7
6 Research focus, Methodology and Data Analysis tools…………… 8
7 Analysis……………………………………………………………... 10
8 Research findings…………………………………………………… 12
9 Recommendations…………………………………………………… 14
10 References…………………………………………………............... 15
11 Annexure………………………………………………………........ 16

4. Page 4
INTRODUCTION
Entrepreneurship amongst women has been a recent concern. Women have become aware of
their existence, their rights and their work situation.
The educated women do not want to limit their lives in the four walls of the house. They demand
equal respect from their partners. However, Indian women have to go a long way to achieve
equal rights and position because traditions are deep rooted in Indian society where the
sociological set up has been a male dominated one. Despite all the social hurdles, India is
brimming with the success stories of women. They stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are
applauded for their achievements in their respective field. The transformation of social fabric of
the Indian society, in terms of increased educational status of women and varied aspirations for
better living, necessitated a change in the life style of Indian women. She has competed with man
and successfully stood up with him in every walk of life and business is no exception for this.
This paper presents an exploratory study documenting the perceptions of a sample of Indian
women entrepreneurs of different factors affecting the establishment and development of their
small business.
This paper examines constraints and opportunities affecting women entrepreneurs in India -
suggestions for the growth of women entrepreneurs-Schemes for promotion & development of
women entrepreneurship in India.
The paper integrates salient micro- and macro-level perspectives and provides a rounded account
of opportunities and constraints as part of a holistic interdependent system

5. Page 5
CONCEPT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND WOMEN
ENTREPRENEURS:
Entrepreneurship refers to the act of setting up a new business or reviving an existing business so
as to take advantages from new opportunities. An entrepreneur is a person who starts an
enterprise. He searches for change and responds to it.
Entrepreneurs shape the economy by creating new wealth and new jobs and by inventing new
products and services. However, it is not about making money, having the greatest ideas,
knowing the best sales pitch, applying the best marketing strategy. It is in reality an attitude to
create something new and an activity which creates value in the entire social eco-system. It is a
state of mind, which develops naturally, based on his/ her surrounding and experiences, which
makes him/ her think about life and career in a given way.
So, women entrepreneurs may be defined as the women or a group of women who initiate,
organize and operate a business enterprise.
The Government of India has defined women entrepreneurs as ―”an enterprise owned and
controlled by women having a minimum financial interest of 51 per cent of the capital and giving
at least 51 per cent of the employment generated in the enterprise to women. “
Status of women entrepreneurs in India:
India has been ranked among the worst performing countries in the area of women
entrepreneurship in according to the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard released at
Dell Women's Entrepreneur Network summit in Berlin. , The 2015 scorecard that evaluates 31
countries, ranked India at the 29th position, followed by Pakistan (30th) and Bangladesh (31st).
In India only 4 per cent of Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) are women, while a mere 9.5 per
cent of board members belong to the fairer sex and in case of senior management, the figure
stood at around 15 per cent.
All of the 31 countries evaluated in the survey were given an overall score, based on their access
to resources, business environment, the pipeline for female entrepreneurship, and several other
parameters. The United States emerged with the best grade with a mere 71 out of 100 possible
points. While, more than 70% of the countries evaluated were scored below than 50.
Assistance To Women Entrepreneurs In Rajasthan:
 Given the important role of women in Industry, special measures will be implemented to
promote their participation in industrial ventures. The three pronged strategy envisaged
will focus on enhancing the entrepreneurial skills of women removing credit related
bottlenecks and increasing their employment opportunities.

6. Page 6
 The schemes for special rebate of 10% on industrial lands and an equity type assistance
from the Mahila Udhyam Nidhi Scheme.
 A shelf of projects relevant for women is prepared and updated periodically.
 Flatted factories would be allotted to women entrepreneurs on deferred payment basis
provided they have undergone training course.
 Efforts of ngos or other organisations to run Day Care Centres for Women will be
supported.
 In the courses of Entrepreneurship and Management Development Institute, 30% seats
will be reserved for women.
 The Cell set up in the Commissionerate of Industries for development of entrepreneurship
amongst women shall be further strengthened to monitor the House Hold Industries
Scheme for Women.
 Startup India scheme

7. Page 7
FACTORS AFFECTING FEMALE ENTREPRENEURSHIP:
The most popular themes in entrepreneurship research have traditionally revolved around micro-
level factors including opportunity recognition, motivation, financing and performance.
Opportunity identification is considered a mainstream fundamental issue in entrepreneurship
research, given that it is an important entrepreneurial capability and a source of competitive
advantage. For many female entrepreneurs, the choice of self-employment may reflect the
restricted structure of opportunities in the labor market, labor market discrimination or glass
ceiling career problems, with self-employment often perceived as a survival strategy, or as a
means of providing flexibility in work scheduling and reconciling multiple roles. Evidence
generally reveals that female entrepreneurs start with lower levels of overall capitalization and
lower ratios of debt finance
Women are less likely to have generated a credit track record to establish formal credit
worthiness than their male counterparts. Female entrepreneurial ventures also tend to be
concentrated in service sectors that are usually cheaper and easier to establish. Consequently, it
should come as no surprise that women-owned businesses tend to be smaller, slower growing
and less profitable than
those owned by men. In
relation to female
entrepreneurship, the
normative pillar is
particularly salient in the
sense that career choices
are clearly shaped by what
society deems desirable
and correct for one sex and
that many societies
continue to define women
through roles associated
with family responsibilities
Differences in the social acceptability of female entrepreneurs have also been noted as salient
across institutional environments (Reynolds et al., 2003), with lower credibility and legitimacy
ascribed to female entrepreneurship risking to constrain the rates of female start-ups
entrepreneurship is also related to the level of economic development and is embedded in a
specific national economic context. For example, high levels of self-employment are often
reported in countries with low levels of economic development.The macro national level
involves structural conditions, including social values, social stratification, conception of law,
family and work and is the all encompassing domain within which all other layers exist
The micro-individual level includes factors like individual agency, motivation, identity and
various forms of human capital that influence individual capabilities and opportunities, while the
meso level involves organizational processes that mediate employment opportunities according
to individual abilities and contextual circumstances
MACRO LEVEL
(contextual
env.)
• Legal
Environment
• Economic
Environment
• Normative
Environment
MICRO LEVEL
(organization)
• Opportunity
Identification
• Motivation
• Financing
• Performance
Figure 1 (Level of External Analysis)

8. Page 8
RESEARCH FOCUS, METHODOLOGY AND DATA ANALYSIS
TOOLS:
o The present study was conducted among women entrepreneurs in Jaipur City.
o The research undertaken is interpretive in nature capitalizing on
 Primary: in-depth interviews with women entrepreneurs
 Secondary: through interviews collected from various websites. To explore their
interpretations and perceptions of female entrepreneurship.
o Interpretive research is qualitative seeking to unearth collective frames of reference, or
construed realities that guide the attribution of meaning and help account for how women
create, enact or interpret the reality they inhabit
o A sample comprising Five women entrepreneurs was used for this research.
o In the frame of this logic, this research selectively included five women entrepreneurs with
relevant entrepreneurship experience. The sampling was purposeful in the sense that only
women entrepreneurs who had initiated new ventures and accumulated relevant experience
with start up businesses were approached.
o For analysing the financial problems faced by women entrepreneurs, two separate types of
questions were asked, one relating to start-up obstacles and second relating to the problems
faced in running up of the enterprise.
Woman
entrepreneur
Line of business Education Prior work Experience Age
1 Owner of a gym
center
As a
 physiotherapist
 teaching faculty
 fitness instructor
7 years 30
2 Owner of a
school
B.Ed, M.A
(history)
In teaching 10-15 years 50
3 Owner of
computer
training and skill
department
B.Sc,
PGDCA,
M.Sc, M.A
Central academy teacher 20+ years 52
4 Owner of a
Food &
beverages
company
M.A
(history)
Teaching experience
And
Beauty Salon owner
6 years 49
5 socio-preneur,
(Neerja
international
inc) owner
B.Sc  Teaching
 founding secretary
of the Jaipur
Rotary Club
35 65
Figure 2 (Sample Profile)

9. Page 9
Most of the women entrepreneurs in the sample also have relevant academic qualifications
An interview guide was prepared based on the literature review presented above. The interview
guide addressed micro and macro level factors affecting female entrepreneurship as reflected in
Figure 3
Dimension Description
Micro level
factors
Opportunity identification How women entrepreneurs identified
opportunity for the new business and human
capital variables (e.g. education and work
experience); barriers encountered in terms of
opportunity exploitation
Motivation Motives for pursuing entrepreneurship
including push and pull factors (e.g. labor
market constraints vs seeking challenge and
independence)
Financing Strategies and sources of financing that
women entrepreneurs tapped into and barriers
encountered in this process
Performance Performance of the business in terms of
turnover and growth Self-stated growth
objectives and the interdependence between
performance, success, and personal goals
Macro level
factors
Legal environment Explicit regulations pertaining to small
business creation/sustenance that Lebanese
female entrepreneurs considered salient (e.g.
government procedures, labour market
legislation, formal gender equality by law
Normative environment Unwritten rules of conduct and behaviour
consisting of norms, values, societal roles,
family values, religious beliefs, traditional
attitudes, stereotyping, credibility and
legitimacy of self-employment
Economic environment The objective and perceived nature of the
economic environment and how this reflects
on female entrepreneurship intentions and
exploitation
Micro and macro
level factors
Constraints/opportunities Ranking of main obstacles encountered
identification of opportunities and reasons for
success
Figure 3 (Interview guide addressing micro and macro level factors)

10. Page 10
ANALYSIS:
Name of
entrepreneur
Shamita
Sharma
Purnima
Kapoor
Savita
Chaudhary
Kuldeep
Sharma
Leela bordia
Name of
organization
Winning
moves (GYM)
Shruti Sharbats
and Food ltd.
B.R Public s.
school
Landmark school
of computers
&
Landmark Art &
management
Neerja
International
About them
Owner of a
women’s Gym
Owner of a
natural
sharbats &
food orgn.
Owner of a
School
Owner of
computer
training and skill
department
largest
Manufacturer and
Exporter of Blue
Pottery in India
Turnover
(apprx)
50-60 K
/month
50-60K
/assignment
___ 8-10 L /month –––
Financial
Help From?
 Parents
 My
personal
savings
 Personal
loan from
bank
Relatives Relatives  Relatives
 Then finance
rotation
Motivation
From?
 Family &
Friends
 From
satisfied
customers
 Family
 From
satisfied
customers
Family Family  Family
 It was a big
incentive that I
would secure
the standard of
living of
villagers.
Opportunity
Identification
 Demand
of a
women
gym
 Market
pull
factors
 Availabili
ty of
lesser no.
Higher use of
artificial color,
artificial
essence and
preservatives
in Sharbats
which caused
many diseases
prompted me
to make pure
 My teaching
experience
pushed me
to open my
own
education
center.
 Availability
of ancestral
land for
 a few no. of
computer
learning
centers in
Jaipur
 increasing
number of
computer
learning
aspirants.
One day, I was
visiting the local
villages around the
city and noticed
the work of some
artisans who were
making blue
pottery. It was
beautiful. Upon
hearing that this

11. Page 11
of women
gyms
 Possibiliti
es of
opening a
physiother
apy cum
exercise
center
products
without use of
any color,
essence and
preservatives.
opening a
school
 Availibility of
computer
hardware
(husband was
owner of a
computer
hardware
shop)
craft needed a
fillip both in terms
of expansion and
marketing, I
decided to move
into this.
Obstracles
 In
gathering
modern
machinery
 In getting
business
loan
 To decide
space for
gym center
 In
marketing
of the
product
 Gathering
raw
materials
for my
product
In making
people aware
about my
school i.e
marketing of
my product
In learning latest
teaching skills in
computer as it is
a dynamic feild
 I knew little
about ceramics,
 working hard
to control
quality,
designing,
colour
combinations
&
experimenting
with our
marketing
approach.
Growth
90-100 clients
daily and 20-
30
physiotherapy
patients daily
Sale of 80-100
bottles in a
month
275 students
currently
enrolled
500-700 students
enrolled in a
year
Working and
selling blue pottery
products
internationally
Next
objective to
achieve
 Opening
new
branches
of
organizatio
n
 Make more
and more
women
awareof
good
health and
fitness
 Expanding
business in
Delhi and
Mumbai
 Opening a
online
purchase
store
 Making
people use
pure and
natural
products
 To make
our school
turn from
hindi
medium to
English
medium
 To make
kids
educated
 To enroll
more and
more
students
 To Join
Rajasthan
university in
courses such
as PGDCA &
MCA For
computer
education
To make a
museum for
artisans.

12. Page 12
Research findings:
 Business oriented entrepreneurs generally choose Services Industry as it requires low
investment or one-time investment
 In the starting phase of business they face hardships in terms of:
o Finance: as banks asks for high security for business loans
o Acquiring space or place to run business
o Resources gathering, is also a tough task
 Some of the women entrepreneurs admitted jointly identifying opportunities for the new
business with their husbands
 Women entrepreneurs are hard working women and they are skillful in managing and
balancing their personal and professional life properly.
 Women entrepreneurs start their business when they have at least some resources
available with them, such as:
o Land
o Capital
o Machinery
o Labor
 The motives for pursuing entrepreneurship were explored, and most women referred to
an interesting combination of push and pull. Some of women mentioned the need for a
double income to sustain the family as an important push factor. Various pull factors
were conversely mentioned by the women entrepreneurs interviewed, including the
pursuit of challenge, creativity, and financial independence.
 Initial lack of access to capital and financial support or under-capitalization barriers were
considered salient by most of the women entrepreneurs, as

13. Page 13
A woman entrepreneur put it in words: “The initial funding came from our family
savings; but that was not enough, we had to purchase the premises and we did this
through personal savings. We did not even consider bank financing as a viable
option at the time.”
 Some of the women also expressed normative pressures stemming from traditional
attitudes of a conservative society where women are expected first and foremost to
deliver on their family duties and responsibilities
 In the area of performance, the majority of the women entrepreneurs expressed
satisfaction with the performance of the business, despite the various constraints
encountered along the way. As one woman said:
“I love my work and I still come almost every day; I feel that in addition to the
income generated from the business, we are rendering a very important social
service by providing education to children.”
 In India societies are male dominant thus women face a little resistance by Market, but
this thinking and mentality of people are changing with growth in society.
 Women entrepreneurs often face gender-based barriers to starting and growing their
businesses, like discriminatory property, matrimonial and inheritance laws and/or cultural
practices; lack of access to formal finance mechanisms; limited mobility and access to
information and networks, etc.
 Lack of right public/ private institutions- Most public and private incentives are misused
and do not reach the woman unless she is backed by a man.

14. Page 14
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is imperative to design programmes that will address to attitudinal changes, training,
supportive services:
 Infrastructure – Infrastructure set up plays a vital role for any enterprise. Government can
set some priorities for women entrepreneurs for allocation of industrial plots, sheds and
other amenities. However, precautionary measures should be undertaken to avoid the misuse
of such facility by the men in the name of the women.
 Access to Finance Programs- Efforts to facilitate access to finance for women
entrepreneurs typically encompasses initiatives that reform restrictive bank and regulatory
policies. Such reforms accept less traditional forms of collateral, look at a lender’s
willingness to repay and simplify business registry. They also help financial institutions
develop innovative loan and savings products for female entrepreneurs.
 To establish all India forums to discuss the problems, grievances, issues, and filing
complaints against constraints or shortcomings towards the economic progress path of
women entrepreneurs and giving suitable decisions

15. Page 15
REFERENCES WEBSITES :
1. http://www.neerja.com
2. http://economictimes.indiatimes.com
3. www.indiatvnews.com
4. http://smallb.sidbi.in
5. http://www.dcmsme.gov.in/
6. http://ibs.rajasthan.gov.in/

16. Page 16
ANNEXURE:
Name Line of
Business
Education Prior work Experience Age
Q.1 How women entrepreneurs identified opportunity for the new business and human capital
variables?
Q.2 Motives for pursuing entrepreneurship including push and pull factors?
Q.3 Strategies and sources of financing, that women entrepreneurs tapped into and barriers
encountered in this process?
Q.4 Performance of the business in terms of turnover and growth Self-stated growth objectives
and the interdependence between performance, success, and personal goals?
Q.5 Explicit regulations pertaining to small business creation/sustenance that Indian female
entrepreneurs considered salient (e.g. government procedures, labour market legislation,
formal gender equality by law?
Q.6 Unwritten rules of conduct and behaviour consisting of norms, values, societal roles, family
values, religious beliefs, traditional attitudes, stereotyping, credibility and legitimacy of
self-employment?
Q.7 The objective and perceived nature of the economic environment and how this reflects on
female entrepreneurship intentions and exploitation
Q.8 What were their next objectives?
Q.9 Their greatest achievement so far?
Q.10 How do they manage balance between personal and professional life?