Abstract:
The Indian woman has come a long way as an active partner in economic activity. Her presence is prominent in agricultural fields as well as in industrial organizations; in the organized as well as in unorganized sectors. As per the projection made in the 7th plan, the women workforce in 2000 A.D. will be about 226.6 lakhs in the urban and 830.1 lakhs in the rural areas. Thus women do contribute a fair share to the economy of our country. Since India is committed to the principle of economic growth with social justice, women have to be brought into the mainstream of economic activities. One of the most significant developments in recent years in this direction is the emergence of small businesses established and managed by women. The new industrial policy for small scale industries announced by GoI in 1991 has emphasized promotion of self-employment through entrepreneurship among women. A large number of specific policies and programmes have been formulated to encourage women to opt for entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship as an area of research is of great origin, particularly studies on women entrepreneurs. The recent study commissioned by UNIFEM examined the current status of entrepreneurship among women on the basis of available research findings (Padaki, 1993). The study report identified the emerging trends and suggested directions to promote entrepreneurship among women.
