Keywords

Socio-economic Background, Role Conflicts, Biological Factors, Entrepreneurship.

Introduction

The history of economic development of all societies, developed and less developed shows the fact that the entrepreneurs have made a significant contribution to the process of economic development. The nature and extent of such a contribution may however, vary from country to country depending on the industrial climate, natural resources and the responsiveness of the political system to economic growth. Economic development of a country depends primarily on its entrepreneurs who are action oriented and highly motivated individuals taking up risks to achieve goals. The promotion of women entrepreneurs gives twin advantages to the country. This leads to both economic growth and to women development. Promotion of women entrepreneurs requires a multipronged approach. Women should be motivated to come out of their traditional activities for accepting challenging and rewarding economic activities. Concurrently, the environment should be prepared to enable their participation. Women rarely enter business. Even professionally, most of them have confined their activities to areas such as teaching, banking, nursing and medicine. Out of the total number of self-employed, women account for a very meager percentage.

Importance of Socio Economic Background of Women in Making Them into Entrepreneurs

In governing entrepreneurial acumen among the people socio-economic environment plays a crucial role. A favorable environment creates necessary conditions for the growth of entrepreneurs. Socio economic background is the aggregate of external factors such as social, economic, cultural, political, legal and technology within which the enterprise operates. Entrepreneurs are to operate and adapt themselves to different situations in the environment in order to achieve success.

Entrepreneurial activities can grow manifold in a conducive and congenial social environment. Social environment presupposes a number of social factors which are critical for the growth of women entrepreneurs. These factors include family background, caste system, social sanctions, religious background, kith and kin, social mobility, social status, social values etc.

It is a well-known fact that certain castes encourage the emergence of women entrepreneurs. Specific castes in the society exhibit more entrepreneurial talents than their counterparts as they possessed latent potential and specialized culture which helps to foster entrepreneurs.

Economic background also plays an important role in providing inducement to entrepreneurs for specific industrial activity. Economic environment refers to the economic factors which influence the women entrepreneurs in identifying the business opportunities and selecting the best ventures out of those opportunities that are economically viable and financially feasible.

Education too is an important asset for women entrepreneurs. Education, as a tool of entrepreneurial development, makes the women entrepreneur informative as well as rational in approach. Educated entrepreneurs are more aware of the government policies and incentives provided by the government than their uneducated counterparts. Similarly, the increase in experience level is directly related to the awareness of environment.

Need and Importance of the Present Study

As per 2023 census Visakhapatnam has a population of 1,728,128 with women constituting 854,529 of the population. Visakhapatnam has grown into an industrial hub with a lot of investment in the state- owned Industrial sector. It is also considered as one of the main centers of education and employment in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Women entrepreneurship can succeed easily in the city as it provides several opportunities of entrepreneurship. However, compared to major cities in state such as Hyderabad and Vijayawada, entrepreneurs are less in the Visakhapatnam and more over women entrepreneurs are very few. It is thus important to find out the reasons for the situation for which the responses of the existing women entrepreneurs become important. Further, studies on women entrepreneurs in Andhra Pradesh and Visakhapatnam in particular are negligible. Hence, a study of women entrepreneurs in Visakhapatnam was undertaken.

Objectives of the Study

1. To enquire into the socio-economic background of women entrepreneurs

2. To examine the role-conflict they are encountered with, as housewives and entrepreneurs.

3. To offer suggestions for the women entrepreneurship based on the research data.

Scope of the Study

The study was restricted to the city of Visakhapatnam only and certain parameters were strictly adhered while selecting the sample. An attempt was made to study the socio economic background of women entrepreneurs of Visakhapatnam. A sample of 100 women entrepreneurs was taken which consisted of 48 service & 52 trading units. For the purpose of the study the women entrepreneurs should satisfy the following criteria.

1. The woman entrepreneur should play a major and active role in managing the enterprise.

2. The woman entrepreneur should have contributed to the equity capital of the enterprise.

3. The total investment in the enterprise should be Rs. 1,00,000/- or more.

4. The woman entrepreneur should have employed a minimum of three employees.

Literature Review

Chandrasekar (2022) research has been conducted to study the socio economic impact of women entrepreneurs with special reference Coimbatore District. The main objective of the study has been to understand the socio economic impact of women entrepreneurs, and their problems in running their enterprises efficiently and profitably. All most all the women entrepreneurs irrespective of their education, age, married and the unmarried, caste, religion, type of organizations, ownership type, experience, amount of capital investment , fixed assets have ranked the problem of finance as first in order followed by the problem relating to sales, competition from other sellers, purchase of raw materials, technical problems and labour related problems. The conclusion of the study is that, if the Government, society and family support the favorable condition to women entrepreneurs, then they will in turn flourish the family, society and the economic conditions of the nation.

1. Samanta (2018) concluded that women are not into business for survival but to satisfy their inner urge of creativity and prove their capabilities. Women education is contributing to a great extent to the social transformation.

2. Sarbapriya & Ishita (2011) focus their study on women entrepreneurs in India and about the status of women entrepreneurs, the problems faced by them when they set up and manage their own businesses in the competitive world of business environment. The study concluded that there is a significant difference between women entrepreneurs and men entrepreneurs on ground in terms of many such as perseverance, potentiality and ability to work hard, as well as the abilities specific to emotional intelligence.

3. Khanka (2005) concludes that the entire process right from the conception of an idea to the establishment of a business enterprise is a daunting task. Enterprise establishment and entrepreneurship development is not an individual task. It is an outcome of combined efforts. The economic, social, cultural, and political conditions prevalent at certain points of time create entrepreneurial context and this context provides necessary conditions for entrepreneurship development.

4. Winn (2004) states that few of the decision making factors and socio-personal constraints affect women entrepreneurship globally.

5. Latha & Murthy (2004) made an attempt to study on motivational factors and also the important factors for success of entrepreneurship in Tirupathi region. Hard work, self-confidence, risk taking, timely financial support from banks, money lenders and motivation from friends, relatives and family members are the some of the important factors for the success of entrepreneurs. Finally the sense of high achievement and motivation introduced by the entrepreneurial skills is necessary to have proper motivation and training for potential entrepreneurs.

6. Rajesekaran (2003) the primary objective of this study was to examine the entrepreneurial performance of different groups of printers and to test whether significant differences exist amongst them. To conclude, the performance pf printers within industry is significantly different. Hence a development programme must be selective, intensive and purposeful. Assistance should be provided to the units in accordance to their efficiency.

7. One study concludes that the women’s start the business not always because of the positive factors but also due to negative circumstances such as family income, lack of employment opportunities, dissatisfaction with a current job or the need for flexible hours of work.

8. Koshy & Joseph’s (2000) study was restricted to the modern small scale manufacturing units of Ernakulum district. The important conclusions drawn from the study were that majority of the entrepreneurs limited their growth due to reasons of fear of managerial problems, loss of tax incentives for SSI units, marketing problems, Scarcity of finance and other related factors. The women entrepreneurs faced problems with respect to marketing and finance. Training and development for imparting professional management skills will be a boon to women entrepreneurs.

Research Methodology

For the purpose of the study both primary and secondary data were collected. The study covers diverse sections of women entrepreneurs in trading and service sectors from Visakhapatnam.

Primary Data

Since the study is an exploratory one, it was based on primary data. The data was obtained through a structured questionnaire in addition to short interviews with the respondents. A pilot study was conducted for testing the questionnaire among selected women entrepreneurs and based on the responses obtained; necessary changes were made in the final questionnaire.

In addition to the data obtained from the sample women entrepreneurs through the questionnaire and personal interview, discussions were also held with the officials of the government and non-government agencies which are involved in the development of entrepreneurship in general and women entrepreneurship in particular.

Secondary Data

Primary data was supplemented with data from secondary sources. The secondary data was obtained from various sources such as different books and journals, annual reports, research reports, magazines, manuals and newsletter reports, websites, etc.

Discussion

In the context of a woman entrepreneur, the socio-economic background plays an important role. Hence, the data obtained with respect to age, educational background marital status, occupation of husband, the number of children, family background, etc., was collected. The individuals who have been a source of motivation in starting the business and the conflicts if any encountered by the entrepreneurs were enquired and the data so collected was analyzed. In addition, a thorough analysis of the tabulated data along with necessary conclusions has been presented with respect to each aspect of the study.

Age Group Distribution of Women Entrepreneurs

The age of a woman entrepreneur at the time of entry into business has been a significant point of study. The general impression is that women when compared to men enter into economic activity and in particular business at a later age. Many earlier studies have revealed that the vulnerable age for a women to start her own enterprise is early 30’s, after subsequent years of marriage with the children a little grown up. To analyse this factor the age of the women entrepreneurs was enquired.

When the age of the sample women entrepreneurs was analyzed in Table 1, it was found that majority (54%) of them were in the age group of 26-35 yrs , followed by 36% in the age group of 36 – 45 yrs.

Table 1 Age of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Age	Service	Trading	Total
1	< 25yrs	2 (22.22)	7(77.78)	9
2	26-35yrs	28(51.85)	26(48.15)	54
3	36-45yrs	17(47.22)	19(52.78)	36
4	> 45 yrs	1(100)	-	1
Total		48	52	100

Only 9% of the sample was below 25 yrs of age and only one woman entrepreneurs was above 45 yrs of age.

The analysis reveals that majority (90%) of the sample were between 26 yrs and 45yrs of age. It is interesting to note that some women have started their business at a young age of below 30 yrs.

Figures in brackets shows horizontal total (Figure 1)

Educational Qualification of Women Entrepreneurs

Education acts as a catalyst of social change in any society. Education determines the level of aspirations, technology, productive efficiency, etc., which constitute some of the basic factors in the process of both social and economic development.

Many studies have tried to analyze the relationship between education and entrepreneurial spirit in women. Though it can’t be inferred that education has a positive impact in developing entrepreneurial spirit in women, it definitely enhances a woman’s skills required for a business and it will prepare her to face the environment of entrepreneurship more successfully.

On the whole it can be noticed that all the women entrepreneurs were educated and there were no illiterates. Around 37% of them were graduates and 36% of them were post graduates, 16% had 10^th and 6% intermediate and only 5% had primary education. Since majority i.e. 73% were graduates and post graduates it can be inferred that their education has given them confidence and independence to organize a business activity.

Among the graduates, 54% were in trading and 46% were operating service units. 61.11% of post graduates were into service business and 38.89% had trading units.

67% of the women entrepreneurs who had primary education, 10^th and intermediate were into trading whereas the remaining 33% had service units (Table 2 & Figure 2).

Table 2 Educational Qualifications of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Qualification	Service	Trading	Total
1	Primary	2 (40.00)	3 (60.00)	5
2	Tenth / Matric	5 (31.25)	11 (68.75)	16
3	P.U.C. / Intermediate	2 (33.33)	4 (66.67)	6
4	Graduation	17 (45.94)	20 (54.06)	37
5	Post-Graduation	22 (61.11)	14 (38.89)	36
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets show percentage of horizontal total

Birth order of Women Entrepreneurs

Certain personality traits are more associated with a particular birth order. Many psychologists have confirmed that the birth order has an influence in the development of the personality of the individual. The birth order has an impact on how the individual is socialized in the family which intern affects the development of certain traits in him/her.

An attempt was made to tabulate the birth order and the entrepreneurs in Table 3 which reveals that 38% were youngest and 36% were middle and 19% were eldest children. There were 7 respondents who said that they are the only child. Hence, the study concludes that the birth order of an individual has no influence on the entrepreneurial traits of women.

Table 3 Birth Order of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Birth Order	Service	Trading	Total
1	Eldest	9 (47.36)	10 (52.63)	19
2	Middle	21 (58.33)	15 (41.66)	36
3	Youngest	13 (34.21)	25 (65.78)	38
4	Only child	5 (71.42)	2 (28.57)	7
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 3)

Marital status of Women Entrepreneurs

In case of women, apart from the personal characteristics like age, education, etc., their marital status also plays a role in their entrepreneurship activity. It denotes the support they get and the conflicts they have to face.

On the whole it can be noticed that 75% were married, one divorced and 4% were widows 20% women of the sample were unmarried.

The less number of unmarried women in the sample may be due to the fact that they being at a younger age have less need for independence since they are protected and cared by their parents. They have fewer responsibilities and many parents don’t like their daughters who are yet to be married, to risk into business.

Such behavior of parents may be attributed to reasons stated below. Apart from spending on the daughters’ marriage, the parents have to risk certain amount in her business which may be closed down in the event of the marriage, as her settlement is denoted by the husband she gets. In certain cases men may not like to marry women who are already in business independently as they fear that such women show more individuality and less submissiveness (Table 4).

Table 4 Marital Status of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Marital status	Service	Trading	Total
1	Unmarried	7 (35.00)	13(65.00)	20
2	Married	39(52.00)	36(48.00)	75
3	Widowed	2(50.00)	2(50.00)	4
4	Divorced	-	1(100)	1
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 4)

Children of Women Entrepreneurs

Children have a great impact on the economic and family responsibilities of women. Children have an influence on the time and energy a woman can give to other activities as in our society the mother is entrusted with the major responsibility of looking after the children.

An attempt was made to know the number women entrepreneurs who had children and tabulated in Table 5. A major percentage i.e. 58% of the respondents had children and 42% did not have out of which 20% were unmarried.

Table 5 Children of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Children	Service	Trading	Total
1	Yes	28(58.33)	30 (57.69)	58
2	No	20 (41.66)	22 (42.30)	42
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of vertical total (Figure 5).

Community of Women Entrepreneur

To analyze whether caste has any impact on entrepreneurship and to find out whether the backward and the reserved categories are taking opportunities of entrepreneurship, the sample was grouped on community basis in Table 6. 56% of the total sample belonged to the forward caste, which includes 42% in service and 57% in trading. 28% were from backward castes, which contained 53.57% of service and 46.42% of trading women entrepreneurs.

Table 6 Community of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Community	Service	Trading	Total
1	OC	24 (42.88)	32 (57.14)	56
2	BC	15 (53.57)	13 (46.42)	28
3	SC & ST	9 (56.25)	7 (43.75)	16
Total		48	52	100

Regarding the representation of reserved categories (scheduled castes and scheduled tribes) in the sample, it was 16% only with 56.25% of them in service and 43.75% in trading activity.

The information provided above reveals that the women of scheduled castes and scheduled tribes were not coming out much into entrepreneurship. This may be due to the reasons that they are still lagging behind and not coming into income generation due to less education and those who are educated are able to get government jobs easily with the reservations available for them.

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 6)

Caste of Women Entrepreneur

In India caste is playing a very important role. There is a presumption that entrepreneurship is confined only to certain communities. To find out this, an attempt was made to enquire into the specific caste of the women entrepreneurs in case they belonged to forward castes.

The data in Table 7 reveals that among the forward caste women 32%, were Brahmins 25% were Chowdarys. 18% of Vysyas 9% Reddys, 7% Kapu, 5% Telagas & 4% were Kshatriyas. Regarding the relationship between the specific community and the line of activity, the Brahmins were dominating in services and Chowdary’s were dominating in trading.

Table 7 Caste of Women Entrepreneur
S.No.	Caste	Service	Trading	Total
1	Reddy	2 (7.69)	3 (10.00)	5
2	Brahmin	15(57.69)	3(10.00)	18
3	Chowdary	2(7.69)	12(40.00)	14
4	Vysya	3(11.53)	7(23.33)	10
5	Kapu	3(11.53)	1(3.33)	4
6	Kshatriya	-----	2(6.66)	2
7	Telaga	1(3.84)	2(6.66)	3
Total		26	30	56

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 7)

Occupation of husband of Women Entrepreneurs

Behind the success of every woman there is a man. It is usually the husband. A husband plays an important role in the success of a woman entrepreneur. To ascertain whether the occupation of the husband has any impact on her entry into business, an enquiry was made into the status of husband of the respondent and presented in Table 8.

Table 8 Occupation of Husband of Woman Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Occupation	Service	Trading	Total
1	Employee	11 (28.20)	9 (21.95)	20
2	Business man	18 (46.15)	25(60.97)	43
3	Unemployed	2 (5.12)	2 (4.87)	4
4	Professional	8 (20.5)	5 (12.19)	13
Total		39	41	80

49% of respondents revealed that their husbands are businessmen. 20% of them were employees. 4% of the sample said their husbands were unemployed. 13% of them said their husbands were professionals who include doctors, lawyers, etc.

From the analysis it can be inferred that the women whose husband were businessmen influenced their wives to start business as nearly half of the respondents husbands were already in business.

Figures in brackets shows percentage of total (Figure 8)

Family Structure of an Entrepreneur

There has been a tremendous change in the family system in India. Joint family system is giving way to nuclear setups. A woman is largely influenced by the structure of her family. If it is a nuclear family she stays with her parents and brothers / sisters if she is unmarried and with her husband and children if she is married. If it is a joint family in addition she is with her grandparents and fraternal uncles and cousins or with her in-laws according to her marital status.

In a joint family she can derive the domestic support from the other members of family but she is influenced by all the members of the family and usually enjoys less independence. While in a nuclear family a woman enjoys more independence and need not consult members other than her husband / parents if she has to take a decision. An attempt was made to find out the family structure of women entrepreneurs. Of the total sample surveyed, majority (70%) belonged to nuclear families. The figures in the Table 9 clearly indicates that despite the common belief that joint families would be more supportive to women who want to branch off on their own and enter business, it was the nuclear family system that has produced more entrepreneurs. This may be due to the fact that in nuclear set up, the woman firstly, has an equal say and is more open to new ideas and secondly, it is easier to convince only one person, the husband, rather than a large number of members in a joint family.

Table 9 Family Structure of Woman Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Family Structure	Service	Trading	Total
1	Nuclear	34 (70.83)	36 (69.23)	70
2	Joint	14 (29.16)	16 (30.76)	30
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of column (Figure 9)

Status of Women Entrepreneurs before Entering Into Business

It was felt necessary to study whether the status of a woman before entering into business had any impact in entering into entrepreneurship. The analysis reveals that (65%) of the women entrepreneurs before entering into business were housewives out of which 52.30% belonged to service sector and 47.7% belonged to trading sector.

19% of the respondents were students, and 10% of respondents were professionals. Many of the women entrepreneurs of the service sector especially those running schools, colleges, crèches, computer institutes were previously employed in similar units (such entrepreneurs can be described as intrapreneurs). A very less percentage of 6 had prior experience as employees (Table 10).

Table 10 Status of Women Entrepreneur before Entering into Business
S.No.	Status of entrepreneur	Service	Trading	Total
1	Employee	2(33.33)	4(66.66)	6
2	Housewife	34(52.30)	31(47.7)	65
3	Student	6(31.57)	13(68.42)	19
4	Professional	6(60.0)	4(40.0)	10
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 10)

Status of Parents of Women Entrepreneurs

It is generally presumed that motivation for an individual to start business will be more in business families than in other categories.

Hence, it was felt necessary to study whether the status of the parents had any impact in motivating the woman entrepreneur to take up business.

When the data pertaining to the status of the respondents parents was analyzed it was interesting to know that 72% of them were not in business line and they were employees either in the private or public sectors as against 28% who were business people. The analysis reveals that women from non-business families also seem to have a drive towards entrepreneurship (Table 11).

Table 11 Status of Parents of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Whether parents in business	Service	Trading	Total
1	Business	15(31.25)	13(25)	28
2	Others	33(68.75)	39(75)	72
Total		48	52	100

Figures in brackets shows percentage of horizontal total (Figure 11)

Home Related Conflicts of Women Entrepreneurs

Women in India have been brought up with a mindset that it is their responsibility to take care of their family and children and look after the domestic work. A woman who comes out for an economic activity often experiences feelings guilty if she feels she is evading the household responsibilities. Hence, when a woman comes out to work it is only an additional burden for her playing dual roles one of a householder or a housewife and of an employee or an entrepreneur.

When women have to perform dual roles successfully they are often encountered with role conflict, unless there is proper planning of their time and sufficient help from the other family members.

An attempt was made to find out as to how many of the sample respondent was facing home related conflicts and further the type of conflict they were facing (Table 12). Only 29 women have said that they do not have any conflicts as they plan their work effectively and were receiving sufficient help and assistance from their husband and family. The remaining 71% of the respondents reported to have been facing conflict.

Table 12 Home Related Conflicts of Women Entrepreneurs
S.No.	Problem	Service	Trading	Total
1	Less time for domestic work	8(47.05)	9(52.94)	17
2	Children deprived for motherly attention.	7(63.63)	4(36.36)	11
3	No enough attempt time to spend with family	12(48.0)	13(52.0)	25
4	Have to forego hobbies	1(33.33)	2(66.66)	3
5	Overloaded with dual responsibility	6(40.0)	9(60.0)	15
6	No problem	14(48.27)	15(51.72)	29
Total		48	52	100

25% of the sample has said that they have no enough time to spend with family. 17% of respondents felt that they have less time for domestic work and 15% have reported to have been overloaded with dual responsibilities. 11% of the respondents felt that their children are deprived of motherly attention.

The above analysis shows that majority of the women were facing problems related to domestic activities due to their business. Further it can be said that if they receive sufficient help from the husband or family in looking after the household activities and children, much of their conflicts related to home can be resolved.

Figures in brackets show percentage of total (Figure 12).

The marital status of the respondents was compared with their home related conflicts in Table 13 to examine if there is any relationship between the two.

Table 13 Marital Status and Home Related Problem
Marital status	Less time for domestic work	Child deprived of monthly	No enough time to spend	Have to forego hobbies	Over loaded	No problems	Total
Unmarried	8 R (40.0) C (47. 05)	---------	5 R (25.0) C (20.0)	----------	2 R(10.0) C(13.33)	5 (R(25) C(17.24)	20
Married	8 R (10.66) C (47.05)	11 R(14.66) C(100)	17 R(22.66) C(68)	3 R (4.00) C (100)	13 R(17.33) C(86.66)	23 R (30.66) C (79.31)	75
Widowed	1 R(25.0) C(5.88)	---------	2 R(50) C (80)	---------	---------	1 R(25) C(3.4)	4
Divorced	---------	---------	1 R(100) C(40)	----------	----------	--------	1
	17	11	25	3	15	29	100

Among the married respondents 22.66% have felt that there is no enough time to spend, 17.33% were overloaded with work, 14.66% said that their children were deprived of motherly attention, 10.66% of the respondents said that they have less time for domestic work. Majority (30.66%) have reported to have no home-related problems.

Among the unmarried majority (40%) reported to have less time for domestic work. 25% said they do not have enough time to spend & 10% that they are overloaded with dual activities. 25% of the unmarried respondents reported to have no problems.

Out of the 4 divorced respondents 2 said there is no enough time to spend, 1 said there is no time for domestic work and one reported to have no home related problems.

The analysis reveals that there is not much difference between the home related conflicts and the marital status of the respondents.

Figures in brackets shows percentage of total (Figure 13)

Major findings of the study:

1. Majority (90%) of the sample was in the age group of 26yrs-45 years. It is quite interesting to note that most of the women in the recent years are starting business even before the age of 30years. This reveals the increasing entrepreneurial spirit in them and the exposure they are receiving seems to have enabled them to learn about the opportunities available in the market.

2. It is found that most (73%) of the respondents were either post graduates or graduates. It may be inferred that women who are educated are more risk taking. They have greater urge to take up challenges and attain a respectable position in the society.

3. Coming to the marital status of women entrepreneurs, it is found that 75% of the women were married & 20% were unmarried. This shows that married women seem to enjoy complete co-operation & support from the husband. Husband’s role in doing the preliminary work of starting a business, staying by the wife’s side in all circumstances motivates as this is further confirmed by the fact that 65% of the women entrepreneurs before entering into business were just housewives.

4. The analysis on the birth order of the sample women entrepreneurs revealed that almost equal percentage of the sample belonged to each birth order i.e. first born, middle child, last born. This infers that the birth order of an individual has no influence on the entrepreneurial traits of women in contrast to the earlier studies on this factor which highlighted that the eldest are more entrepreneurial.

5. More than half (50%) of the sample belonged to forward caste in which again Brahmins and Chowdarys occupied a major chunk. It can be concluded that individuals belonging to forward castes always had greater exposure, higher education and better resources. Women of forward castes enjoyed more support from family members and were privileged enough to start their own business. In our society the backward castes and reservation classes could not make their mark in business due to the reason that they never enjoyed the liberties that forward castes enjoyed. Another reason could be the various employment opportunities available to them under the reservation policy due to which they were apathetic towards entrepreneurial avenues.

6. Most of the women entrepreneurs (78%) were already established as successful business women for more than 2 years. Most of the motivating sources for women entrepreneurs were within the immediate family only and Majority of the respondents were motivated by economic factors.

7. Another interesting factor is the structure of the family. Contrary to the belief that joint families render greater support it was found that women from nuclear families were more entrepreneurial.

Suggestions

1. Women entrepreneurs must be motivated so that professionalism can grow among them to develop a sense of ownership.

2. They need to be cordially helped by all friends and relatives.

3. To be ideal entrepreneurs, women must develop accurate knowledge of organizational skills, courage to take risk, honesty and firmness, a fascinating personality.

4. A change in the system of education may create positive environment for entrepreneurship in the country.

Conclusion

In the light of the above findings, it may be inferred that the education, proper motivation from the family/relatives, and friends has the positive impact on the entrepreneurs which implies that entrepreneurship among women requires a congenial entrepreneurial climate which motivates and facilitates them to take up entrepreneurial career at this point of time; the society should play a positive role. They should be treated at par with men, or even with a little more preference as they require it for their development. The male dominance should be subdued and doubts regarding the capabilities of a woman should be erased. It should be strongly realized that the role of woman is inevitable for the development of the society and the economy as a whole.

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Received: 09-Mar-2023, Manuscript No. ASMJ-23-13315; Editor assigned: 12-Mar-2023, PreQC No. ASMJ-23-13315(PQ); Reviewed: 22- Mar-2023, QC No. ASMJ-23-13315; Published: 29-Mar-2023