Women Entrepreneurs in Coimbatore District

Abstract

Entrepreneurs play very important role in socio-economic welfare of the country. Entrepreneurship development is an important aspect of women empowerment. A woman needs to be encouraged to start a business in order to improve their economic standards as well as to improve their overall status in the economy. The aim of the present study is to examine the status of women entrepreneurs in Coimbatore district. From the findings made in the study it was inferred that women got enough opportunity to start a business and earn accordingly. But, they had to overcome some of the problems in order to sustain their business. Income, convenient timings, no higher officials interruption were some of the benefits enjoyed by the women through entrepreneurship. Their status in the society had also been improved due to entrepreneurship as what they have before.

Entrepreneurs play very important role in socio-economic welfare of the country. They identify the needs of the business, purchase the other factors of production and coordinate them for some productive purposes. They are the innovators, researchers and risk-takers of the company. An entrepreneur can be defined as one who initiates and establishes an economic activity or enterprise.

Women constitute half of the world’s population, accomplish about two third of its working hours, receive 1/10th of the world’s income. More than 90 per cent of rural women in India are unskilled, restricting them to low paid occupations. Women generally have no control over land and other productive assets. Despite several attempts by government after independence, Indian women are still in disadvantage in relation to survival, health, nutrition, literacy and productivity.

Entrepreneurship development is an important aspect of women empowerment. A woman needs to be encouraged to start a business in order get economic gains as well as to improve their overall status in the economy. Though they fill nearly half of the population in the country accordingto 2001 census, their participation in entrepreneurial activity was relatively less. As half the population on this planet is women there is an unnatural gap between genders. There is thus potential to enhance the level of women entrepreneurs. Women entrepreneurs have a massive potential which are yet to be unleashed. Not only due to the gender gap, but also because women bring in diversity to the innovation process.

In Coimbatore District, women while establishing firm foothold in literary and social status seem yet to identify their role in entrepreneurship. According to District Industrial Center (DIC) thenumber of enterprises managed by women entrepreneurs was 5270 in the year 2005.

Now days, women entrepreneurs in the District were engaged in a variety of industries i.e., traditional as well as non-traditional, such as engineering, readymade garments, fabrics, eateries, handicrafts, doll making, Poultry, diary farming, chemical industry, knitting, jewelers designing and the like. The motivation behind these women entrepreneurs has been an aspiration for a career in business.