Women Entrepreneurs in India: Approaches to Education and Empowerment

Abstract

We can achieve economic development and shared prosperity only with the full economic participation of men and women in the globalised and liberalised India. In recent years, support programmes for women entrepreneurs have gained traction and prominence as a mean to empower them, create jobs and boost productivity at the national and regional levels. In developing economies, the role of women is most significant as workers and job creators. In India, female entrepreneur’s activity is concentrated in the informal sector with limited potential for growth in income and employment. In the Indian situation, female entrepreneurs are unable to grow their business from micro or small to medium or large productive enterprises with transformed economic impact. The World Bank estimation on the working-age population (15 to 59) is set to increase by more than 200 million in India in the next two decades, while it is expected to decline in most developing economies of the world including China. The era of globalisation has enhanced the role of women entrepreneurs. However, India may fail to obtain benefits without the participation of women, who form a significant mass of society. Active participation of women in economic activity and decision making is very much needed to increase GDP growth. Skill, knowledge-based education enables to change the role of women from homemaker to job maker. When a woman gets an education, a whole generation is educated. Education enhances knowledge which enables access to resources and opportunities. This paper focuses on the role of education in patterning and promoting women entrepreneurship and to examine problems, issues, challenges faced by women entrepreneurs.