Role of Women in Family Managed Businesses: A Study in Andhra Pradesh

Abstract

Family businesses constitute most businesses in India, as anywhere else. Economic liberalization and rapid expansion in the industrial base in recent years have not only created growth opportunities for many but also have tested their resource capabilities to respond to them- some have chosen to follow the role of a custodian of their existing wealth and followed the preservation route, while some others have followed more of an entrepreneurial route of exploiting opportunities with or without relevant resources, with mixed results. One of the key resources for all of them is their family, and their prime concern is wealth and welfare of their family. A major dilemma many of them have faced particularly in the last decade since economic liberalization began, is to choose between combination of risks and returns of business growth and conservation of wealth of the family. This, of course, is intertwined with the missions of their businesses and families (Ramachandra, 2003). Research conducted over the past 15 years has increased our knowledge of family-owned firms. Unfortunately relatively little empirical research has been conducted on women and their participation in family owned businesses (Dumas, 1998). In collaboration with the above, Lyman, Salganicoff and Hollander, (1985), cited in (Rowe and Hong, 2000), state that the strength of traditional family roles, both within society and within individual families, kept women's business contributions from being acknowledged. An attempt is made in this paper to empirically examine the role of women and highlight the issues/challenges women face in family managed businesses in Andhra Pradesh. The results of the study along with the implications for further research and practice are discussed in the paper.