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Social
upliftment of Indian women has always been the priority
issue for both central and state governments since our independence.
Traditionally, the emphasis has been more on the empowerment
of women through education, and increased participation
in political and other social activities. But in the last
decade, our country has witnessed many successful initiatives
in yet another potential area for the development of Indian
women—women entrepreneurship.
The
success story in `women entrepreneurship' is due to the
efforts of only a small percentage of Indian women. A majority
of the Indian women are not economically active. A recent
study reports that 77% of urban and 60% of rural housewives
do not work outside the home. However, going by the recent
trend, we may expect that the number of entrepreneurial
ventures by the Indian women is bound to go up in the coming
years. So let us leave no stone unturned in encouraging
`women entrepreneurship', so that our country's progress
in the economic and societal domains could be expedited.
In
this background, the first article, "Women Entrepreneurs:
Challenges Faced", by Prema Basargekar, analyzes the
present scenario of women entrepreneurship in India. The
paper brings out various challenges faced by women entrepreneurs
with a special focus on marketing issues. In the latter
part of the paper, the author, with the help of appropriate
case studies, suggests suitable ways to address the challenges
identified earlier in the paper.
The
second article, "Perspectives of Women Entrepreneurship",
by B Sobha Rani and D Koteswara Rao, begins with a detailed
review on the initiatives taken by the central and state
governments and women entrepreneurship associations to encourage
women entrepreneurship in India. This is followed by a literature
review of the various research studies conducted on the
issues related to women entrepreneurship in the states of
Andhra Pradesh, Haryana, Maharashtra and Northwestern India.
The
third article, "Marketing Management and Entrepreneurship
Development in a Tribal Dominated Economy: A Case Study
of Small Scale Industries in East Khasi Hills District of
Meghalaya", by Nirankar Srivastav and Ricky A J Syngkon,
provides an overview of the thriving entrepreneurial activities
in the East Khasi Hills district of Meghalaya. Armed with
the survey data, the authors analyze the characteristics
and business challenges of small scale industries of East
Khasi Hills district.
In
line with the focus of the current issue, the case study,
"Self Employed Women's Association (SEWA): Empowering
Women in India", by Vidya Kamble and Sanjib Dutta,
traces the evolution of SEWA, an organization committed
to provide full employment to the women in the informal
sector and make them self-dependent. This issue also includes
a research summary.
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S Senthil Kumar
Consulting
Editor |
