Abstract:

In recent years, women have been showing keen interest in taking self-oriented jobs and professions by enhancing their growing interpersonal skills, industrial exposure, family support, and financial assistance. Unequal access to education restricts them from acquiring the functional levels of literacy required to learn the skills. This paper is an attempt to analyze the reasons which prompt women to start a business and the major challenging external factors which women entrepreneurs face in the Indian context. The study was conducted through online mode and required responses were received from women entrepreneurs across the country. The major findings were social acceptance towards the working women, marketing and promotional issues of their products and services, problems related to resource procurement, funding issues, and challenges arising out of Indian Patriarchal social order. The study is concluded with stating that a business arena is still a tough place for women in India. Despite the hardships faced by women, risk-taking mentality and family support help them to find new ways to beat the odds placed against them. The analysis revealed that one the most important factors of their success is their own will power and vision that makes it possible for them to overcome the social and professional challenges.

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