Familial legacies: a study on Gujarati women and family entrepreneurship

Ranjana Singh,Tania Sebastian

doi:10.1186/s40497-018-0090-x

Abstract

Among the states of India, the State of Gujarat in India presents numerous opportunities for entrepreneurship. This is the result of entrepreneurship ingrained in the culture and tradition of Gujarat. The significant aspect examined in this article is the link between family and women entrepreneurs in Gujarat. Evidences has been gathered from six cities of Gujarat covering Northern, Eastern, Southern, Western and Central zones to portray the overall picture of Gujarat. The findings from the evidence is to be further explored and utilized for the betterment and upliftment of women entrepreneurs in India, as women lose out on self-sufficient job opportunities because of the traditional practice of disallowing women to work outside their homes and with strangers. Entrepreneurship, with the existing support and promotional measures in training and retaining skills in becoming an entrepreneur can go a long way for the nation and empowering women.

Highlights

Gujarat as epicentre for gender and family entrepreneurship The global movements aimed at incorporation of women in structured workforce brings about inclusion and promotion of women as entrepreneurs, both as a part of the family and as independent individuals
Results & discussion Considering the state-wide study of Gujarat, this article dwells on the interesting trends relating to family and women entrepreneurs
The fact that, choice of always desiring to start their own business is independent of mother’s occupation and husband’s occupation shows that women are less inclined towards husband’s occupation, probably as a result of matrimonial constraints in the Indian society, or, in the case of the mother, a less successful venture as opposed to that of father and kinfolk

Summary

Introduction

Gujarat as epicentre for gender and family entrepreneurship The global movements aimed at incorporation of women in structured workforce brings about inclusion and promotion of women as entrepreneurs, both as a part of the family and as independent individuals. Male centered societies result in low involvement of women in family-run business (Vera and Dean, 2005). This discrimination in businesses and familial legacies seeps down to unequal wages and harassment. Harassment results in reluctance of families to send their daughters, mothers and wives to a workplace and outside their own home. Unequal treatment results in less access to formal education for women thereby resulting in less participation of women in formal sectors (Smith-Hunter, 2013)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion