CHAPTER - VII

SUMMARY AND SUGGESTIONS

An earnest attenipt i s madc in this chapter to prclicnt a summary of conciusivns

arrived at in the earlier chapters and lo make suggcslions to avcrceme thc problcms

faced by women entrepreneurs. In addition, issues for funhcr rcscarch in future am

incorporated.

I . Summary

A summary of findings of the present enquiry is given in this section.

1.1 Research design mad methodology

Economic development in any Tom is thc oulcome of human activity.

Historical development has brought several changes in the cconomic devclopmenl

programmes of many countries. India is in a peculiar situation w h m poverty ig nor only acute but a chronic malady even in lbe presence of sbundanl natural mwurceo

including human rewums. Absencc of an entreprrmuriai c h willing to a e risks

and ~ndertake new ventures is yet another reason for slow econamlc development of

the nation. The development of indigenous entnpnneurship is an imperative for a

country embarking on socio-economic development p r o m m e s . Thus, bK country is

looking f ~ m r d to more and more entrepreneurs to lay the foundations of a smng

national economy. Women's develnpmen~ has been consided the key lo the uvwsll

sustainable development of the nation. Funhtr. it has brm undcrs td thsr

empowerment of women and their full participa~icm on thc basis of equity in all spheres

of society are fundamental to the achievement of quality, devclopmcnt and peace.

Entrepreneurship development among women will cenainly swngthcn

industrialization. Entrepreneurship development is essential for increasing pct capita

income and quality of life. Various studies on womcn entreprencurship havc forused ON

specific problems. A total approach to all such pmblcms and possible wlulions wauld

help planners to give impetus to women entrepreneurship. Such an attempt is made in

this enquiry. At a time when the government and society have s conccrn for womcn but

have not traveled towards encouraging women enlrcprcneurship, the study acquires

great significance.

Several women in various pails of the world try to develop busincss acumen,

mobilize the necessary resources, proficiency and expenix fn,m different quarters and

set up their own business enterprises and industry and sustain thcm and develop them in

different directions. This is the starting point for the movement or women

entrepreneurship in every country, Whilc in India there had becn a gcneral awareness

about the need to encourage entrepreneurs and specific schemes wen launched For

industrialization and promotion of entrcprencurship, thcsc programmes lack specific

thrust for promoting women entrepreneurship. Several government departments,

institutions and voluntary organizations have introduced a multitude of p g m m m c s af

assistance and incentives etc to keep up the tempo and to speed up the praccss of

growth of women entrepreneurship further. Andhra Radcsh stak and Hydetabad city

are no exception to this. In spite of this, women confront varicd problems, m e of

which are indeed highly complicated and vexatious, it is also not easy to avail all the

promised assistance and benefit fmm incentives offercd. They have lo run from pillar to

post to meet the officials and get the neded assistance and guidam. In this proccjs,

they are exhausted physically and mentally. Their hopes are belied and t h y we left

high and dry. This research work was undertaken to expose thc root cause o f pmbluns

of women entrepreneurs, suggest feasible and appropriate measures to o w m m c lhcm and to make the enterprises not only sustainable but also develop them f i e f . At l t

same time, this enquiry aims at highlighting the efficacy o f the various supportive

measures enunciated and implemented by the government from time to time. Further,

researcher has attempted to suggeqt ways to address the various issues canccmina

women entrepreneurs. The researcher feels Ihat rhese suggestions will definilcly be of

great significance and immenx benefit not only to women entrepreneurs but also others

~articipating in the programmes of encouraging women enwpreneurs. I h e researcher

is o f the firm conviction that an in-depth analysis o f various problems would result in

suggestions that may lead to further growth and prosperity of women managed

enterprises.

There are several studies at national and regional levels regarding

entrepreneurship. There are a few studies at regional level which highlighted thc issues

faced by entrepreneurs. Firm level studies are few in number which centcrcd around a

particular industrylproduct categories. In litcraturc, some o f the studies arc found on lhc

problems o f entrepreneurs in general and womcn entrepreneurs in mctn~pol im cities,

As far as the knowledge, information and understanding of the researcher a n

concerned, there is no evaluative and empirical squdy on tho problems and prospccts of

women entrepreneurs in Hyderahad city. The author knows men, matters and material

thoroughly in Hyderabad city. Further, due to time, money and othcr constraints, the

enquiry is confined to llyderabad city only. 'Therefore, a modea attempt is made In

evaluate performance, problems and prospects o f women entrepreneurs in the city af

Hyderabad. The specific objectives o f the study include: to review the government

policy, programme and institutional set-up Tor tho promotion o f women

entrepreneurship in India; examine the motivational factors that influence women w

become entrepreneurs; analyse h e performance of selcct women enferpriser; evsluatc

the problems confronted by women entrepreneurs; and assess tho pmspects of womcn

enterprises.

For the purpose o f the study, 216 women cnlrcprcneurv are convmhtly

selected. These are spread over manufacturing (81), trade (36) and scrvice(99). The

study has made use of both the primary and secondary sources o f data. The primary

data is collected through a questionnain specially designod for the purpose by p a r d

interview method. The dam is pmcessed. mbulatcd, analyscd and intqxctcd with Lhe

help of tools like Person's rank emlation. chi-square test, standud deviation,

compound growth rate and Likert's scaling technique. Whcnwr possible and fusiblc,

appropriate graphs, charts and diagrams are drawn to highlight thc fwts and figurn.

The study suffers from certain limitations. There may bc recall lapses since the

respondents do not maintain proper books of owunts. A few qucstians which many

could not answer are deleted from the questionnain. tiencc, the analysis on financing

and cost aspects could not be covered adequately.

1.2. Measures for the promotion of womcn eatrcprrneurabip

In India, for the promotion of entrcprcneurship among women, government has

designed and evolved a number of politics, implemented programmes. *I-up

institutions and provided financial assisrnnce over many years. The cntrcprcneurship

development has received much attention during the last few years. The principle of

gender equality is enshrined in the Preamblc of the Indian Consti~ution, Fundamental

Rights, Fundamental Duties and Directive Principles of S ~ a c Policy. National lxvcl

Standing Committee on womcn entrepreneurs was constituted to lwk into the

problems of womcn entrepreneurs and evolvc policies for the promotion of

entrepreneurship among womcn. 'l'hc First National ('onventinn on Women

Entrepreneurs, held at New Delhi during 1981. callcd for priority to wamen in h e

allotment of land, sanction of power, industrial licensing etc. I h c Second International

Conference on Women Entrepreneurs adopted a declaration for the promotion of

entrepreneurship among them. The Firrl Five Year Plan held that womcn must havc

same opportunities as men for lrtking up all kinds af'jobs and this presupposes that they

should get equal facilities. The Second Five Ycar Plan cmphasitxd the expansion of

education. During the Third Five Year I'lan, stress was laid on schemes like condensed

courses for adult women. In the Fourth Five Ycar Plan Period incentives such as [roe

text books and scholarships for girls were includcd in a scheme of education for

women. In the Fifth Five Year Plan, attention was laid on the orienwion of Cur~iCtI~UIII

to meet the special nee& of girls. In addition to incentives, girls wcn given unifofmlr

and attendance scholarships.

The principle of women as the target o f economic &vcIopcnt w-6 w a

accepted in the Sixth Five Year Plan. Further, efforls wen ma& (0 cnabk girls

responsible for sibling care a1 home to attend schools. During the Seventh F i w Year

Plan, ducation at h e ekmentary slage was made fm: for lirls. Effans wen ma& in

the Eighth Five Year Plan to make womcn self-rcliant and acon~ ice l l y indcpcndcnt,

During Tenth Five Year Plan, strategies were pursued to empower womcn socidly,

economically and achieve gender justice. National Small Industry Development

Organization and the State Directorates of lndustrics werc established to assist women

entrepreneurs. Extension training institute waq sct-up to tmin officers engaged in the

administration of industrial programmes. The District Industries Ccntcrs pmvidc

services and facilities to entrepreneurs at one place. The Ccnml Social Wclfarc Board

was set-up to promote and implement welfare programmes Tor women m d the

handicapped. The KVlC has taken up h e promotion and dcvcloprncn~ of KVlC to

provide employment opportunity in the rural areas. Like this. Small Industrics Scrvicc

Institute and Federation o f Association of Small Industry o f lndia have come up,

Mahila Mandal came into being to take up ccrtain existing projects meant for women.

The Self-employed Women Association was organized Ibr poor and self employcd

women workers. The AP Women's Co-operative Finance Corporation assisls womcn

entrepreneurs to set-up traditional and non-tradilional cntcrpr~ses. 'lKc Women

Development Corporation was set-up to promote cmploymcnt generation among

women's groups and poorer sections of socicty. All lndia Manufacturers Otyanirstion

was established to encourage , motivate and guide prospeclivc women Cnlf'epreMurs to

set up industries. The lDBl h a launched schemes to assist WOmCn CntRPrencurs. To

train women entrepreneurs, entrepreneurial development institute was act up in the

country.

The Federation o f Indian Women Enwpreneun offers training in dome~lic and

export marketing management, quality control and standardi~ation. The mall

enterprises were formed exclusively Ibr women entrepreneurs. Consortium of Women

Entrepreneurs of lndia is a common platform lo help women mtrcprmcurv while

evolving innovative techniques of production, marketing and financing. ?he South

Asian Association for Regional Co-operation provides a platfom for the p p k af

South Asia to work together in a sprit of friendship, thrusl and undcmd ing through

Chamber o f Women Entrcpreneun Council. NABARD has dcsigncd p r o m m t J for

the development of rural women with rcpvd 10 s s i m , .Acing w p p t ar.

Rashtriya Mahila Kosh was set-up to provide micm credit to paoc womm. lndin Mahila Yojana offers a holistic strategy for the empowerment of women *rough group

dynamics. The SlDBI has launched programmes for women. Tht Swam Jayanthi

Shahari Rozgar Yojana, Swarna Jayanthi Gram Swarozgar Yojana and Rime

Minister's Rozgar Yojana cover women along with men. The SRI Slm Sakthi schcmc

is exclusively designed for women. The NREGP and PMEGP a h assist women

entrepreneurs in the country.

1.3 .Profile of study area

Hyderabad is the capital of AP. It was founded during 1590 A.D. ~ls the apical

of Golkonda Kingdom. Hyderabad district came into ekislencc during A u g u ~ , 1978.

Hyderabad is the fifth largest city in India. l'hc geographical area is 217 square

kilometers. The population is 38.29 lakhs. The scx ratio is 933 womn per 1000 men.

In the total population , literates account for 78.8 per cent. There an: two revenue

divisions with 16 mandals. The normal rainfall will bc 778 mms. Ihe livcslnck

population was 51,782. The net domestic product, a1 factors cost, at current price is Rs.

15.51 lakhs. There are several historical places in and around Ilydcrabad. The worth

mentioning include: Charminar, Birlamandir, Macce Masjid, Ihmania Ilniversity,

Salarjung Museum, Kutub Sahi Tombs, Ciolkonda Fort. Birla l'l~ncurium, Science

Museum , Nehru Zoological Park, Buddha Pcwrnirna, Public Garden, Falaknuma

Palace, IT Hub, Hi-tech City, Indian Institute of Information 'fcchnolugy, Intcrnrtianal

School of Hyderabad, Indian School of Business and Hardware Park.

Enterprises owncd by enterprises an. 65.571. Of thcsc, non-agricultural

activities based units account for 99.84 while the rcst ayricultural activities based,

There are 1.17 Iakh establishments. Of them, ~ h c fnrmcr and thc Iattcr conditult: 99.82

per cent and 0.1 8 per cent sequentially, When all the activiticv are considcrd tn@hcr,

FCs rank first followed by OBCs and SCsiSSs. A similar trend cxistr in agricultural

and non-agricultural activities, In both the agricultural and non-agricultural activities,

men dominate women with a sharc of 96.79 pcr cent and 93.49 pr rent quentially.

The micro and small enterprises have increased from 191 in ZOO5 to 421 in 2 0 9 with

relative ups and downs. The employment was 1438 and 7422 in the f o m r and the

latter serially. The fixed investment works out to Rs. 8.25 c r m s in 2005 pJ against b.

75.69 c r o m in 2009. The industrial units under Fwtwies Act were 11% with a

workforce of 37283 duriig 2009. The industrial employmart in own entwptisas stood

at 85822 while they were 11 86160 in establishments during 2006.

The highest percentage of women who took up cntnprcneurial activities nn in

the age group of 20-30 Years. Of the respondents, thc highest proponion arc graduates.

There are two literates in the majority of the households of cntrrprcncurs. Out of the

respondents, Hindus are more than 80 per cent. The FCs account for a major share

among the respondents. The married respondents constitulc 86.57 pcr cent. Amonp thc

respondents, 71.3 per cent belonged to nuclear family and thc rest joint family. The

typical size of family in the household of women cntrcprcneurs consists of 5-6

members leaving trade, where it is 3-4 members. In mom than 50 pcr ccnt orthe sampk

households, the dependents are two. The rcbpc)ndcnts born in semi-urban placcs rnnk

first followed by those born in urban and rural arms. In the aggregate nspndcnts.

73.61 per cent are migrants and the rest natives. Most of the nspondcnls were

housewives before taking up entreprencurship. The typical level of income of

husbands of entrepreneurs is in the range oRs. 15,000-30,000 per month. Man than 70

per cent of !he respondents reside in pucca houws followed by semi-puw and

khachha. Nearly 60 per cent of rcspondents reside in their own houses.

The lion's share of Be respondents wen: those who 1cu)k lo cntrcprcneurship for

the first time and the rest inherited i( from parents. 'lhe fiasibility study is popular

among the respondents belonging to manuBcturing activity. A small percentage of

entrepreneurs have organired technicaVfeasibility study before starting the entcrpriw.

Economic force is the main molive to start the cntcrprisc for mow than 50 per ccnt of

the respondents. One third of the respondents havc xlcctcd the prewnt activity LC,,

manufacturing/ trade /service due to advice from family membcru. Majority of the flml

generation entrepreneurs have started their units on their own initiative. Of the

influential persons, husband1 other relatives have influenced the highest proportian of

entrepreneurs to start the present line of thc activity. Of the modvaiional force$,

ambition to become an entrepreneur, desire to be indcpendmt, whnical qualification,

small investment, economic necessity, desire to earn more, past experience,

profitability, suggestion ftom friends and family business have motiveled the

~ s m e n t s to become enbeprmeurs. Inecntivcs, concessions, nbrtcs and miffs haw contradicted the inference drawn so far regarding thc influe& of factors on the desire

to become entrepreneur. Self-employment and pmgrammes have amcced the

respondents under manufacturing only. n K n is high d e g m of positive nnk conelation

between manufacturing and trade; manufacwing and xrvicc; and mdc and service.

This is based on the average score and ranking of respondents. The rcsubs of ANOVA

reveal that there are significant ditTerences among the three types of entrcpnneun

namely, manufacturing, trade and service. With r c g d to psychological factan, the

respondents do not have the required internal locus of control; law Ilcvcl of

independence and so depend on environment; so they arc unwilling to ~ & e risk. This is

one of the basic features of entrepreneurship. Among the sample units, wlc trader

concerns account for a lion's share. It is sad to note the1 l e a than one fourlh of

respondents have benefited from the entrcprcneurship training/development

programmes organized by the govcrnmcnt.

1.5. Perfoi.mance evaluation

The prominent source of finance for the womcn cnlrcprencurs is their own

contribution and borrowings from friends and relalives. Ihe proportion of own funds in

the total funds was more than 75 per cent in half' of thc cntrcprcncurs. In

manufacturing and service, the entrepreneurs with a cnpilal of less than Rs. 2,00,000

rank first. With regard to trading, entrepreneurs with capital investment in ihc range ttf

Rs. 2 - 5 lakhs occupy the first place. In the majority of etacrpriscs, the numkr of

workers are less than five since thcse units are small in s i a . The hired lahour fmce

dominate the employment scene in the sample units. The prop,rtiun of family mcmbers

in the total workforce is relatively low in the manufuturing. There is a skill intensity

among the workers in manufacturing and trade. An ovcwhel~ning number of workers

are men in manufacturing as compared to trade and service. The local labnur dominate

the employment sdene in all three sectors ranking betwcen 53 per cent and 82 per a n t .

More than 50 per cent of respondents have obtained raw material from within the state.

Three fourths of entrepreneurs have obtained raw malerials through hired vchicle~. Of

the respondents, 63.89 per cent have produced final productg. Out of the ~ s p o n h n l J ,

64.32 per cent have produced multiple products, 23.24 per cent single product and the

remaining both. The respondents under the manufacturing and m i c e w t w do no:

forecast sales. A converse situation pmvails in the case of badc.

the respondents, more than 80 per cent have sold goods and ~ d c d

services without any brand name. Nearly 67 per cent of respunden& markfl b i r

gooddservices through direct marketing without involvin~ middlemen. Out of the

instruments of advertising. a little over 63 p r cent of rcspondcnls have u d pm@letj

for sales promotion in preference to news p p r . Only 19 pcr cent of responden&

participate in trade fairs/ exhibitions to promote sales. Out of the nspondentk 58.33 pcr

cent sell products and rendered services locally. 'l'he sales outsidc the country arc

almost negligible. Around 55 per cent of respondents dispose of thcir goods and nnder

services on cash-cum -credit basis. Ihe respondents under tnanufncturing price thcir

products popularly on contractual basis, cost oricntcd practice in tradc and competition

based pricing in service. More than 50 per cent of rt~pondcnts do not preserve their

goods in godowns 1 warehouses. Out of the total rcspondcnts.96 per cent in scrvice,

91.7 per cent in trade and 74.1 per cent in manufacturing earn p~)fi ts while thc rest

incur losses. In the case of manufacturing, of the skills of respondents, communiation

skills rank first with a weighted score of 235 and n rating pcrccnlngc of 12.32. In the

case of trade, communication skills occupied the sanlc placc with weight4 scon of

122 and a rating percentage of 13.66. With rcgard to scrvicc sector. human rclution

skills rank first with a weighted scorc of 299 and a rating pcrcentegc of 12.62. At the

aggregate level, communication skills rank firsl with a weighted aorc of 642 and u

rating percentage of 12.32. In the c a x of manufacturing, women cnlreprcncun vicw

that women should be economictllly independent ranks first with a weighled x o m of

273 and a rating score of 12.81. In !hc case of trade, womcn entreprcncuro opined lhlU

women work much harder than men sored first with a weighted score of 124 and 8

rating percentage of 13.12. With regard to scrvice seclor, rcapondenlu felt that women

should be economically independent occupy first place with a wcightcd of 335

and a rating percentage of 13.16. When all the respondents are considered Qcher, [he

perception that women should be economically ~ndcpcndcnt ranks fiM with 8 weight4

score of 73 1 and a rating percentayc of 12.96.

1.6. Problems

Ofthe respondents, 60.50 per cent in manufacturing. 69.40 per cent in mdc and

44.44 Per cent in service have experienced stress due to business while h e rest did not.

The result of chi-square test X' reveals that then is no signifiran~ a m i a t i o n bctwccn trpe of activity and stress experienced. Majority of respondents in

manufacturing(79%), frade(52.80%) and xrvicq64.65%) did n a buthcr about thc

comments made about them. There is no significant association bctwcern type o r

activity and adverse comments and feelings. Nearly 56 p r cent of respondents in tm&

have experienced resistance from family members, friends and rrlativcs while satling

new ventures. Whereas a majority of respandents in manufwturing and servicc wen

not subjected to any opposition. There is no significant relationship ktwccn type of

activity and opposition to start new venture. ' l l c rcspndents who wen: subjcctrd to

gender discrimination constitute 45.68 per cent in manufacturing, 41.67 per cent in

trade and 21.22 per cent in service. 'fhc ossixiotion betwccn type of activity and

gender discrimination is insignificant. Of the total respondents; 59.20 per cent faced

problems during the formulation of prcjecl/activity whilc the rest wen: f m h m it.

Among the respondents, those who have f m d problems arc the highest in trndc

(83.33%) followed by service (59.60%) and manufacturing (48.1 5%). It is evident that

there is no significant association between type af activity and problems f a d during

project formulation. The majority of thc rcspondcnts in trade hrvc faccd pmblcm whilc

raising finance while the majority of the respondenls were free f m it undcr

manufacturing (64.20%) and service (60.60%). 'lhe relationship betwccn type of

activity and the problem of raising funds is insignificant. Of the pmhlcms faccd in

raising finance, lengthy procedures is thc most common problem fsced by rhc

respondents. Out of the total respondents, less than I5 p r cent faced problems relating

to acquisition of working capital. There is no significant association between typc of

activity and problun with raising working capital. Adequacy of working capital appear$

to be a serious problem as compared to lcnyhy procedure. Non-avsilability of instan{

credit supply to meet the emergencies has xverely affectcd the women cnwprcneurs in

service (71.43%), manufacturing (69.23%) and trade (55.56%). All the rcspondnrtn

have faced raw materials problem under manufacturing and trade. With regard to

service sector, 82.83 per cent have faced o b s ~ l c s relatin0 to raw mnterials. Of the

problems faced by the respondents whilc procuring raw IIIalerials, high prim (32.16%)

seem to be the first followed by fluctuations in prices (28.64%). subs- mawids

(1 5.08 %), high transportation cost (13.07%) and imgular supply ( I 1.06%).

Most of the respondents have faced Irlk~ur problcm. But the association

between the lype of activity and labour problem is insignificant. Of the pmblcms

confronted by women with regard to labour, abscrrtcrism appears to bc hc first,

~bsenteeism is the highest in trade (60.61%) followd by manufacturing (56.34%) ad

service (53.57%). This is so because of the involvement of wonren workcrs who are

prone to be absent during maternity and childcm. There is no significant assacidion

between the type of activity and prime labour problems. Non-availability of un-skilld

labour occupied the first place. In the case of manufacturing, the highest 45.65 p r cent

faced competition from small scale units. A similar trend prcvails with regad 10

entrepreneurs under trade and service. Around SO per cent of respondents have faced

the problem in the transportation of gcujds. I t appears that there muy bc lack of suitnhle

mode of transport.

In manufacturing, conflict between entrepreneurial and domeslic roles arose

due to overload of work in both the roles. It was ranked first by a majority of thc

women entrepreneurs with a weighted a score of 306 and u rating perrcnlagc of 38.83.

A similar trend can be noted in the entrepreneurs under trade. In thc case ofnspandcnts

under service, the conflict due to inability to maintain social conucts cams fir9 with a

weighted score of 484 and a rating perccntagc of 4 1.5 1. When all thc rcqx)ndcnte arc

considered as a whole, among the conflicts, overloadcd with work in cnwrprisc and at

home came first with a weighted score of 803 and o ruling pcrccntogc of 37.58.

2. Suggestions

Women possess certain admirahle qualities of enterprise, If proper awareness

about entrepreneurship is created, women can contrihutc to the all ovctall dcvclopmcnt

of the nation. In recent times, there is a phcnomcnal growh in women

entrepreneurship.There is a further scope and opportunity to tap the untapped arcns of

entrepreneurial talent and skill. The researcher hss rnndc the following suggcstiuns for

the overall development of women entXprcncurs.

2.1 Women are not lagging in cntreprcneurial den l . The existing [mining

facilities and curriculum of entrepreneurship dcvclopmcnt should he updated

and diversified. Useful and proper mining is ncew to change thair attitudinal views, environmental notions. ~ t u r a l sk'ill wS p o w of wise

thinking. It enhances the capability of women. This mblcs women

entrepreneurs to develop self-confidcncc, self assertivmess, aptitude, acumen

and risk bearing capacity. Women have occupicd the status w n d class

citizens status due to gender discrimination in the sncicty. She i s endowtd

with natural strength but weaknesses arc crcated by the society. ' be training

programme should be designed in such a way that her strength should bc

further explored and automatically weakncsscs are reduced. Many of thc

respondents have expressed their incapability in managing the affairs properly.

The researcher has come acrossed \hat. majority of womcn entrrpreneunhip

are running below their expec~ations becausr of undcrrleveloped management

system. I f proper managerial training is provided, womcn can run heir

ventures successfully.

2.2 Proper healthy and harmonious cnvirnnmcnt has to bc fostcd for the

emergence of women entrepreneurship.

2.3 Selection of proper entrepreneurial line of aciivity i s a dil'ficult task for wcmcn

entrepreneurs. The information on thc development o f cntrcprencunhip has

not reached the women folk. Ilcnce wide publici~y should be given.

2.4 Generally, girls right from the school days a n aiming to become dcxtors,

engineers, teachers, lawyers etc. Usually womcn would like ~n join

government employment. For carefrce safety, government job is considered

secure and safe with no risk bearing. Rut a few girls/ women arc willing t~

chose entrepreneurial carccr brave thcmxlves with risk caking situations,

uncertainty and mental pressure. Ih is weak mindset should bc changed by

incorporating entrepreneurship syllabi in the initial stage ofeducation.

2.5 Some of the respondents reported that the saciety looked a them with

suspicion at their abilitks. This has lead lo inferior complex and fear in them,

Hence efforts should be made to creak confidence in the f m of a pat and

encouragemat.

2.6 Since the first generation entrepreneurs relatircly Icss, o m i t i e e should be created to take up entrepreneurship, This is so because the houstwives

potential source of entrepreneurship.

2.7 Many of the woman entrepreneurs are unaware of the government schemes

programmes, training etc.. meant for them. 'This was cxprrsscd by wamrn

entrepreneurs during the course of interview. 'The pvcmment should publicist

, them to reach the ears of women.

2.8 The time consuming procedures in obtaining loans fmm the financial

institutions should be minimized. The paper formnlides should k made

simple and lucid. It facilitates easy access to t h m , l ~ d y Oflccrs havc to he

appointed to help illiterate and less educated lvomcn cntrcprcncurs.

2.9 The researcher has found that the entcrpriscs rcgistcrcd in thc name of womcn

were actually managed by male members of the family. Government should

unearth such illegal activities and malpncticcs. Suggestion should bc given to

the women entrepreneurs to run their won cnterprixs. Govcmment should

exhibit the list of real entreprcncurs.

2.10 Whilc interacting with women entreptencurs, rescsrcher has noticed thn! the

biggest challenge is marketing. 'l'a market the product, she h a to be a1 the

mercy of middle men who eat up the big chunk rrT profit. Middlemen havc

exploited women entrepreneurs at both the ends. 'TKcy are dcnied of dixount

in the purchase of raw materials and try to extract maximum c d i t divcaunt hy

middlemen. But they try to get morc commission on purchw of finished

products from women. If women dccidc to climinelc middlcmcn, they are

bound to face a lot of problcms with markcting thcir products such as

advertisement,stiffcompctition and under estimation of quality of

products produced by them. Therefore, some kind of coepcmtive

marketing should be organized.

Thus organizations like ALLAP, NGOs, rural womcn organizations

cooperatives ect., should come forward to help them in mrkaing. Cmvernmcnt

departments should give preference to products of women cntrcprencwr in

purchasing policy.

3. Hints for further research

The present study has focused on a limited area of women entwprencumhip in a

developed region to assess the extent of progress achieved by women. '[hew is a mcope

for well structured micro level studies as well as large mwm level studies wirt\

wider coverage, more so in the Context of liberalization, privatirstion and gbblim\ion

to inarch towards gender equality. The studies wcrc organ~rrd in developing ciwntries.

covering advanced regions and major cities, l'hcre is a nccd 11) conduct studies in less

developed regions, smaller towns and cities and rural arcas. A few thcmcs on which

studies can be pursued are women entrepreneunhip in dircwnt types of regions,

centers of varying levels of industriali7atlon and in dill'crcnt p ~ d u c t gniups, 'fie

themes can cover existing women entrepreneurs of 5. 10 and 15 yean standing ti?

understand their experiences contribution, etc, thc futurc studies may bc dimrod

towards: Effectiveness of existing inst~tutional suppod systems and programmes;

Specific themes such as marketing, finance, training, ~cchnology, support structure,

infrastructure and common facilities Ibr rural enterprises: Cenvibutian of NCiO's in

different regions, as case studies, apart from regional studies. I'h~s a n a l a covcr their

involvement in conducting EDPs and undertaking follow up action; Micm finance or

micro credit, role of No's , banks elc, for pri~moting mlcro cnlerpri~s in less

developed regions and among vulnerable sections of the pe~plc, and l r n p ~ l of

entrepreneurship development programmes and steps nccdcd lo enhance the success

rate i n different categories of women and proyrammcs r l~uscd in various ~gi (sns in the

country.