“PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS – A

STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO MANGALORE ”

ABSTRACT

Women Entrepreneurs play an important role in an economy. Women are viewed across
almost all countries as being inferior to men. While women are equally eligible in the
management of business. Social, cultural, political and economic barriers in women’s
entrepreneurship, and lack of entrepreneurial environment is the biggest issue. The women
entrepreneurs selected for this study are chosen from different sectors from Mangalore. Sample for the
study is 161 and various statistical tools and techniques have been applied to analyze the data. The
purpose of this paper is to encourage the women population to start their own business as they are
discouraged to stand on their own in the male dominated society.

This paper attempt to assess the problems & challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs in
Mangalore city. From the analysis it is noticed that, A great number of successful women
entrepreneur have built successful business around the Mangalore in various sectors. It wasn’t easy to
travel though, it’s clear that there are many challenges in the course of their entrepreneurial life.
Continuous attempts to inspire, promote, empower and cooperate with women entrepreneurs are
needed.

Key words: Women entrepreneurs - Challenges- Problems - Entrepreneurship - Mangalore

 INTRODUCTION:

India has shown strong growth in female entrepreneurship over the past couple of years and
more women are pursuing their careers in this direction and continuing to make notable
progress in entrepreneurial landscape. With the constant evolution in the Indian startup
ecosystem, more and more women are pursuing the company dream and succeeding in their
projects.

In India, because of culture & traditions, women are supposed to perform household activities
& take care of family because of these reasons women entrepreneurship is very low. But due
to the widespread of education and social awareness during last three decades now women
are showing interest in starting their own venture. Hence there is a considerable growth of
women entrepreneurs. Now a day’s in Indian women are willing to accept challenges &
assume responsibility in economic social, political group. Generally, they engage them in tiny
or small cottage industries But recent study show women have been starting ventures in all
the sector equivalent to men.

According to APJ Abdul Kalam "Empowering women is a prerequisite for creating a good
nation, when women are empowered, society with stability is assured. Empowerment of
women is essential as their thoughts and their value systems lead to the development of a
good family, good society and ultimately a good nation."

According to definition given by Government of India, “A women entrepreneur is defined as

an enterprise owned and controlled by woman having a minimum financial interest of 51% of
the capital and giving at least 51% employment generated to women”.

Women Entrepreneurship refers to business or organization started by a woman or group of

women. There has been a change in role of women due to growth in education, urbanization,
industrialization and awareness of democratic values. An entrepreneur is an important
constituent of the development process and an integral part of the socioeconomic
transformation process. Full participation of all section of population including women is
important for development of a society. Entrepreneurship development among women can be
considered a possible approach to economic empowerment of women. Generally when
people are empowered to create and manage their own business, it is possible to create
wealth, jobs, individual and collective well-being becomes reality. It becomes easier for the
Government to redistribute wealth and income when all those who can work are empowered
to do so. Although women in India have taken the entrepreneur world by storm, they often
face a set of challenges not typically shared by their male counterparts.

Objectives of the study :

1. To explore the challenges of women entrepreneurs.
2. To study the women entrepreneurs Difficulties and Problems in Mangalore city.
3. To make recommendations.

Research Methodology :

The data required for the study is collected from both primary and secondary sources.

The primary data was collected through personal interview method..& through Google forms
by mailing to respondents. In addition, the direct contact and discussion with the women
entrepreneurs in Mangalore. The secondary data is collected from both print and electronic
media like books, journals, periodicals, conference paper, working paper, blogs and
websites. Sample size : 161 women entrepreneurs.
Women Entrepreneurship

Women entrepreneurs are said to be encompassing one-third of total entrepreneurs

worldwide. Entrepreneurship traditionally has been defined as process of designing,
procuring, launching and running a new business. An Entrepreneur has been defined as a
person responsible for collecting resources, applying them, taking a calculated risk and
making profits. An entrepreneur controls all factors of production – human resource, financial
and material- to exploit the opportunities to convert them into business. Entrepreneurship
starts with entrepreneurial mindset and nurtures with entrepreneurial eco system which
includes government program, policy, non-governmental support, public and private
organizations, small business advocacy, associations and small business friendly laws.

Some Interesting Statistics on Women Entrepreneurs in India

In a country like India where most women are not encouraged to think large, particularly the 
Countryside(rural) parts of the nation, there are some who have soared higher than one would 
expect from a complicated setup.Such wonder women encourage many ladies to work throug
h their personal struggles and obstacles stories on the road of startups. As a result, India is ste
adily increasing its ranks in a favorable start-up environment with strong government backing

About 58% of the female entrepreneurs were in the age range of 20-30 when they started out.

Nearly 73% of them report revenue of approximately Rs. 10 lakhs in a financial year.

Almost 57% of these women started out solo i.e. without any other member.

About 35% of the women had a co-founder.

Roughly 71% of the Indian female entrepreneurs employ five people or less.
Problems and challenges faced by women entrepreneur :

1. Balance between family and career- Women in India are very emotionally attached to
their home and families. They are supposed to attend to all the domestic work, to look after
the children and other family members. They are overburdened with family responsibilities
like taking care of husband, children and in laws which takes away a lot of their time and
energy. In such situation, it is very difficult to concentrate and run an organization
successfully and efficiently.

2. Limited access to finance - Access to finance is a key issue for women. Accessing credit,
particularly for starting an enterprise, is one of the major constraints faced by women
entrepreneurs. Women often have fewer opportunities than men to gain access to credit for
various reasons, including lack of collateral, an unwillingness to accept household assets as
collateral and negative perceptions of female entrepreneurs by loan officers (Mahbub, 2000).
Women entrepreneurs suffer a lot in raising and meeting the financial needs of the business.
Bankers, creditors and financial institutes do not come forward to provide financial assistance
to women borrowers on the ground of their less credit worthiness. They also face financial
problem due to blockage of funds in raw materials, inventory, work-in-progress, finished
goods and non receipt of payment from customers on time.

3. Inadequate Marketing skills -The ability to tap into new markets requires expertise,
knowledge and contacts. Women often lack access to training and experience in on how to
participate in the market place and are therefore unable to market goods and services
strategically. Thus, women-owned SMEs are often unable to take on both the production and
marketing of their goods. In addition, they have often not been exposed to the international
market, and therefore lack knowledge about what is internationally acceptable.

4. Illiteracy or low level of Education- Women in India are lagging far behind in the field of
education. Even after more than 70 years of independence many women are still illiterate.
Those who are educated are provided either less or inadequate education than their male
counterpart partly due to early marriage, partly due to household responsibilities and partly
due to poverty. Due to lack of proper education, most women entrepreneurs remain in dark
about the development of new technology, new methods of production, marketing,
networking and other governmental support which will encourage them to rise in the field of
management.

5. Socio-cultural barriers- The traditions and customs prevailing in Indian societies

sometimes stand as an obstacle before women which stop them from growing and prospering.
Castes and religions dominate our society and hinder women entrepreneurs too. In rural
areas, they face even greater social barriers. They are always seen with an eye of suspicion.

6. Access to networks -Women have fewer business contacts, less knowledge of how to deal
with the governmental bureaucracy and less bargaining power, all of which further limit their
growth. Since most women entrepreneurs operate on a small scale, and are generally not
members of professional organizations or part of other networks, they often find it difficult to
access information.

7. Access to policymakers - Most women have little access to policymakers or

representation on policymaking bodies. Large companies and men can more easily influence
policy and have access to policymakers, who are seen more as their peers. Women tend not to
belong to, and even less reach leadership positions in, mainstream business organizations,
limiting their input into policymaking through lobbying.

8. Entrepreneurial Skill- Lack of entrepreneurial aptitude is a matter of concern for women

entrepreneurs. They have limited entrepreneurial abilities. Even after attending various
training programs on entrepreneurship women entrepreneurs fail to overcome the risks and
troubles that may come up in an organizational working.

9. Lack of Self-Confidence -Women entrepreneurs because of their inherent nature, lack

self-confidence which is essentially a motivating factor in running an enterprise successfully.
They have to work hard to strike a balance between managing a family and managing an
enterprise. Sometimes they have to sacrifice their entrepreneurial urge in order to strike a
balance between the two which results in loss of a prospective entrepreneur.

10. Mobility Constraints- Women mobility in India is highly limited and has become a
problem due to traditional values and limited driving skills. Moving alone and asking for a
room to stay out at night for business purposes is still looked upon with suspicious eyes.
Sometimes, inexperienced women feel uncomfortable in dealing with men who show extra
interest in them other than work related aspects.
Literature Review :

1. Women Entrepreneurship in Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka: A Field

Based Study By Vidyavathi Jain Jayakumar 2010
Poverty is an overarching factor and a reality of life for a vast majority of women in
India. Women suffer from hunger and poverty in greater numbers and to a greater
degree than men. At the same time, it is women who bear the primary responsibility
for actions needed to end hunger, education, nutrition, health and family income. A
corrective to such a situation is women’s right to gainful employment. Apart from
being a question of survival this would increase their self esteem and prove for a
greater autonomy within the household.
Indirectly this would also increase their direct participation in the community
activities leading them on to wider horizons. The promotion of women’s
entrepreneurship is an important activity to stimulate economic growth, increase
women’s income and their quality of life. Entrepreneurship has thus the potential to
alleviate female poverty and, by extension, to alleviate gender inequalities.

2. Women Entrepreneurs-A Study With Special Reference to Floriculture in

Dakshina Kannada District of Karnataka by Dr. P. Pakkeerappa 2014
The emergence of entrepreneurs in a society depends to a great extent on the
economic, social, religious, cultural and psychological factors prevailing in the
society. In Dakshina Kannada, women have been entrepreneurs since ages particularly
in the floriculture arena. Women from the past have been actively associated with the
development of their families and this is a trend seen from a distance past. The local
flower producers/ sellers in Mangalore are a classical example of need based
entrepreneurship. The aim of this research is to examine
the reasons for women entering into the business of producing and selling flowers as a
means of supporting their families and eradicating poverty in their homes. The object
of the study was to understand the reasons for women taking up the business of
producing and selling flowers and to study the role of formal education in building
entrepreneurial skills of women.
3. Role of Women Entrepreneurs in Inclusive Growth- A Study on Work Life
Balance by Ms. P.V Sumitha & Mrs.Preethi Keerthi Dsouza
In the past, women are taken only as housemanagers but with the change of time,
change in thinking and spread of education the role of women in society also changed.
In recent years, women have been taking interest in income generating activities, self
employment and entrepreneurship. In addition to their challenging entrepreneurial
work, many of these women also perform several roles in their families. Women’s
family obligations also bar them from becoming successful entrepreneurs in both
developed and developing nations. In Indian context, having primary responsibility
for children, home and older dependent family members, few women can devote all
their time and energies to their business (Starcher, 1996). Women also face the
conflict of performing of home role as they are not available to spend enough time
with their families. The married woman entrepreneurs havea major challenge to make
a perfect balance between domestic activities and business activities. The woman
entrepreneur cannot succeed without the support and approval of spouse.

4. C.Arvind and S. Renuka,The study conducted to examine the profile of women

entrepreneur, 2019.
Motivation and facilitating work home role conflict faced by women entrepreneurs.
The researcher found that the important factors which motivated the women towards
entrepreneurship are self interest in that particular area of enterprise and inspiration
from others success. The facilitating factor that had an impact in maintaining the
enterprise successfully were self experience, interest, family’s help and support. The
researcher realize that the women entrepreneurs in general face conflict in work and
home roles ,as well as conflict in work role pertained to in abilities to expand the
enterprise and optimum utilization of available skill. Study concludes that women
entrepreneurs require a congenial entrepreneurial climate which motivates and
facilitates women to take up entrepreneurial career
5. A Study on Problems Faced by The women Entrepreneur in Kancheepuran
District By T.Charulakshmi, M.Thaiyalnayaki 2019.
The research of this paper is to know about the problem faces in the business by the
women. In terms of Schumpeterian concept of innovative entrepreneurs, women who
innovate, imitate or acquired a business activity are called “womenentrepreneurs. In
Tamilnadu female face a many difficulties due to the socio cultural norms, male
domination, family responsibility.

6. Challenges faced by women entrepreneurs: A case study of Mashonaland

Central Province
Despite the recognition that women entrepreneurs play a key role in economic
activity, their growth has remained significantly subdued. This has been a result of the
many gender related challenges they face in the competitive business world with their
male counterparts. The main objective of the research was to unravel the challenges
faced by women entrepreneurs in Mashonaland Central Province of Zimbabwe.
Results were derived through a qualitative in-depth interview based study of a sample
of 50 women entrepreneurs operating in Mashonaland Central Province.

7. Study of financial problems of women entrepreneurs by Subhash chander and

DR. d.d. arora 2013.
Entrepreneurship is a herculean task for women in India but if carried successfully
can inculcate confidence among them and making them more conscious about their
rights. Development of women entrepreneurship is very low in India in comparison to
developed countries. There are number of obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs
during start-up stage and running up of their enterprise. These obstacles need to be
addressed so that women can make a significant contribution in sustained economic
development and social progress of our country. The present study tries to examine
the financial problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Haryana during start-up
stage and running up of their enterprise. The study brought out that lack of adequate
information about the schemes of financial institutions for women entrepreneurs and
reluctance of officials to finance women entrepreneurs are the main problems.
8. Problems of women entrepreneurship in India- a study by V.K.AJAY at 2019
Studies on women entrepreneurship have witnessed a rapid growth over the past 30
years. Entrepreneurship is a key element of growth and development prospects for all
countries. A nation how so ever rich in material resources, cannot prosper if its
resources are not put to productive use, for this purpose, energetic entrepreneurs are
needed who can contribute effectively for national prosperity. The only solution is
promotion and development of Entrepreneurship, as entrepreneurship aims at making
an individual a job provider and not a job seeker. Entrepreneurship has been a male-
dominated phenomenon from the very early age but time has changed the situation
and brought women as today's most memorable and inspirational entrepreneurs. The
position and status of women in any society is an index of its civilization and
progress.

9. Women Entrepreneurship Issues, Challenges and Empowerment through Self

Help Groups: An Overview of Himachal Pradesh. By Ranbir Singh.
Entrepreneurship is considered as one of the most important factors contributing to
the economic development of the society. Entrepreneurs have been considered
instrumental in initiating and sustaining socio-economic development. In India,
concept of women entrepreneurship is of recent origin. Women have become aware
about their rights and situations and entered in different fields of business. They have
established their own successful business empires. They are contributing towards the
growth of economy and improvement of their socio-economic conditions.

10. Problems and prospects of rural women entrepreneur by G. Murugesan 2017

Indian women have to go a long way to achieve equal rights and position because
traditions are deep rooted in Indian society where the sociological set up has been a
male dominated one. Women are considered as weaker sex and always made to
depend on men folk in their family and outside, throughout their life. The Indian
culture made them only subordinates and executors of the decisions made by other
male members, in the basic family structure. While at least half of the brainpower on
earth belongs to women, women remain perhaps the world‘s most underutilized
resource. Despite all the social hurdles, India is brimming with the success stories of
 women. They stand tall from the rest of the crowd and are applauded for their
achievements in their respective field.

DATA AND INTERPRETATION

Marital status of the responses

Particulars No. of responses Percentage

Married 82 51%
Unmarried 79 49%
Total 161 100%
Table no.1: Marital status of the responses

Marital Status
51%
51%

51%

50%

50%
49%
49%

49%

48%
Married Unmarried

Percentage

Graph no.1: Marital status

interpretation:

From the above table and graph, we understood that out of the total responses 51% that is 82
are married and 49% that is 79 are unmarried.

Age group of the respondents

 Particulars No. of responses Percentage
Below 25 57 35.7%
25-30 35 21.7%
31-40 27 16.6%
41-50 28 17.2%
51 and above 14 8.9%
Total 161 100%
Table no.2: Age group of the responses

Age
40.00% 35.70%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00% 21.70%
20.00% 16.60% 17.20%

15.00%
8.90%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Below 25 25-30 31-40 41-50 51 and above

Percentage

Graph no.2: age group of the respondents

Interpretation:

From the above table and graph, we understood that out of the total responses from the
survey, 35.7%respondents are under energetic age group of below 25, 21.7% respondents
comes in the age group of 25-30, 16.6% respondents comes in the age group of 31-40 while
17.2% respondents from the survey comes in the age group of 41-50 and 8.9% respondents
comes in the age group of 51 and above.

Educational background of the responses

Particulars No of respondents Percentage

Primary 34 21.0%
SSLC 37 22.9%
Graduate 59 36.9%
Post-Graduate 31 19.1%
Total 161 100%
Table no.3: Educational background of the responses
 Educational background
40% 36.90%
35%
30%
22.90%
25% 21.00%
19.10%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Primary SSLC Graduate Post-Graduate

Percentage

Graph no.3: Educational background of the responses

Interpretation:

From the survey, we understood that out of the total responses, 21% of the respondents have
the educational background with primary, while 22.9% of the respondents have done SSLC,
36.9% have completed graduation and 19.1% of the respondents have done post-graduation
from the survey to become an entrepreneur.

Form of organization of the enterprise

Particulars No of respondents Percentage

Sole proprietor 47 29.5%
Joint family 53 32.7%
Partnership 30 18.6%
Pvt. Ltd 22 13.5%
Cooperative 9 5.9%
Total 161 100%
Table No.4: Form of organization of the enterprise
 Form of organization
35.00% 32.70%
29.50%
30.00%

25.00%
18.60%
20.00%
13.50%
15.00%

10.00% 5.80%
5.00%

0.00%
Sole proprietor Joint family Partnership Pvt. Ltd Cooperative

Percentage

Graph no.4: Form of organization

From the above table and graph, we observed that 29.5% out of the respondents, women
entrepreneurs started as a sole proprietor while form of the organization of 32.7% is joint
family, 18.6% are partnerships, 13.5% are private limited and 5.8% are cooperative.

Occupation of women entrepreneurs before becoming entrepreneurs.

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

House wife 36 22.3%
Student 55 34.4%
Employment 45 28.0%
Family Business 15 9.6%
Social Worker 10 5.7%
Total 161 100%
Table No. 5: Occupation of women entrepreneurs before becoming entrepreneurs.
 Occupation of women entrepreneurs before
becoming entrepreneurs
34.40%
35.00%
28.00%
30.00%
25.00% 22.30%

20.00%
15.00% 9.60%
10.00% 5.70%
5.00%
0.00%
House wife Student Employment Family Social Worker
Business

Percentage

Graph no.5: Occupation of women entrepreneurs before coming entrepreneurs

Interpretation:

From the above table and graph, it is observed that out of the total respondents 22.3% are
house wives, 34.4% are students, 28% are employed while 9.6% are running family business
and 5.7% are social workers.

Reasons for starting the enterprise

Particulars No. of respondents percentage

Unemployment 30 18.5%
Dissatisfying jobs 41 25.5%
Use of ideal fund 31 19.7%
Use of technical skill 40 24.8%
Leisure time on hand 19 11.5%
Total 161 100%
Table no.6: Reasons for starting the enterprise

Graph no.6: Reasons for starting the enterprise

 Reasons for starting the business
30.00%
20.00%
10.00% 18.50% 25.50% 19.70% 24.80% 11.50%
0.00%
t bs d l
en jo un kil nd
m g lf al
s ha
oy yin ea ic on
pl s f id hn e
em ati of te
c
ti m
Un ss
Us
e of re
Di e i s u
Us Le

percentage

Interpretation:

From the above and graph, we observed that many reasons have made the women to start a
business by themselves. Out of the total respondents, 18.5% respondents were unemployed,
25.5% respondents had dissatisfying jobs, 19.7% respondents started a business to use their
idle fund while 24.8% women started to use their technical skill by starting up a business and
11.5% of the respondents start their business to use their leisure time on hand.

Opponents to the idea of starting the enterprise

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Husband 41 25.5%
Parents 35 21.7%
In-laws 42 26.1%
Relatives 43 26.7%
Total 161 100%
Table no.7: Opponents to the idea of starting the enterprise

Graph no.7: Opponents to the idea of starting the enterprise

 Opponents
30.00% 25.50% 26.10% 26.70%
25.00% 21.70%
20.00%
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Husband Parents In-laws Relatives

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the above data, we observed that, women had many opponents before becoming an
entrepreneur.

Out of the total respondents, we found that 25.5% respondents agreed that they had
opponents from their husband before starting the enterprise, 21.7% are parents while 26.1%
were in-laws and 26.7% were relatives.

Various weaknesses of the women entrepreneurs

Particulars No of respondents Percentage

Lack of in-depth knowledge 24 14.9%
No idea of business 26 16.1%
Lack of mobility 26 16.1%
Idea generation is less 28 17.4%
No calculated risk 27 16.8%
Delay in getting loan 30 18.7%
Total 161 100%
Table no.8: Weaknesses of the women entrepreneur
 Graph no.8: Weaknesses of the women entrepreneurs

Weaknesses
20.00% 18.70%
17.40% 16.80%
18.00% 16.10% 16.10%
14.90%
16.00%
14.00%
12.00%
10.00%
8.00%
6.00%
4.00%
2.00%
0.00%
e s ty ss k an
dg es il i le ris lo
le s in ob is d
ow bu te ng
kn of
m on la etti
h of k ati l cu g
pt ea c er a n
e id La en
c yi
-d g No la
in No ea De
of Id
ck
La

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the survey, we found that there are weaknesses to the women entrepreneurs while
running the business.16.1% of the respondents have stated that when they did not have proper
idea about the business. 14.9% lack of in-depth knowledge regarding its marketing and
manufacturing and 16.8% calculating the risk is very important in a business when it does not
happen, it becomes a problem to the entrepreneur mainly to run a business. 16.1% mobility is
a weakness for them being entrepreneurs they could not move freely due to some reason.
18.7% of the respondents said that sometimes getting a loan from the bank and other sources
would be difficult that would be a greatest problem as finance is very important and it acts as
a pillar.

17.4 % of the respondents stated that idea generation is very important to run a business and
to be able for that women should innovate and satisfy the customers else it is also a problem
to the women entrepreneurs.

Threats for women entrepreneurs

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Shortage of capital 30 18.6%
Big unit competition 42 26.1%
Less demand 35 21.7%
Giving up due to family obligation 28 17.4%
Obsolescence of product and 26 16.2%
technology
Total 161 100%
 Table no.9: Threats for women entrepreneurs

Graph no.9: Threats for women entrepreneurs

Threats
30.00%
26.10%
25.00%
21.70%

20.00% 18.60%
17.40%
16.20%
15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%
Shortage of Big unit Less demand Giving up due to Obsolescence of
capital competition family product and
obligation technology

Percentage

Interpretation

From the above table and graph, all the respondents agreed that they have threats being
entrepreneurs.

Out of the total respondents, 18.6 % respondents said that they had shortage of capital to run
a business. Capital is very important to start as well as to run the enterprise.

26.1% of the respondents said that they are facing competition from other enterprises of the
same field.

21.7% agreed that they have less demand on their products because of competition.
Innovation is very important to satisfy the customers.
17.4% of the respondents quit the business just because family obligation.

16.2% faced obsolescence of product and technology used to manufacture a product should
be good and technically strong so that they can produce innovative products else it would be
a threat for the entrepreneurs to be stable in the market.

Problems faced by women entrepreneurs

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Social problems 47 29%
Government problems 29 18.1%
Financial problems 49 30.3%
Marketing problems 36 22.6%
Total 161 100%
Table no.10: Problems faced by women entrepreneurs

Graph no.10: problems faced by women entrepreneurs

 Problems faced by women entrepreneurs
35%
29.00% 30.30%
30%
25% 22.60%
18.10%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
Social problems Government Financial problems Marketing problems
problems

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the above table and graph, we found that out of the total responses, 29% of the
respondents stated that they have social problems being an entrepreneur, 18.1% of the
respondents stated that they have Government problems as there are large official formalities
in availing help while 30.3% of the respondents says that they have financial problem and
22.6% of the respondents stated that they have marketing problem as it is very important to
satisfy the customers for getting profit.

Financial problem faced by women entrepreneurs

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

The lack of encouragement by financing agencies 37 23%
in extending loans or credit
Harsh or hard repayment rule 48 29.8%
No specific Governmental policy to create an 39 24.2%
awakening in generating extra income
Lack of capital to start the business 37 23%
Total 161 100
Table no.11: Financial problem

Graph no.11: financial problem

 Financial Problem
29.80%
30% 23.00% 24.20% 23.00%
20%
10%
0%

Percentage

Analysis and Interpretation:

From the survey, we observed that women have a financial problem as an entrepreneur.
Finance is very important to set up and run any kind of business. So owner must be stable in
finance.

Out of the total respondents, 23 % respondents said that they have problem from financial
agency as they are not encouraging them in extending loans or credits.

29.8% of the respondents say that most of the financial agencies have harsh and hard rules
repayment rule though they do not have enough profit for the repayment.

24.2% of the women entrepreneur say that there are no specific Governmental policy to get
some additional financial benefits for them grow in the society.

23 % of the respondents have capital problems to start and run a business.

Domestic and social commitment problems faced by women entrepreneur.

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Objections by 28 17.4%
husband/family
Dual kind of duties 30 18.6%
In different attitude of the 29 18.0%
society
Non cooperation 28 17.4%
Limited liberty to women 26 16.1%
Domination 20 12.5%
Total 161 100%
Table no.12: Domestic and social commitment problems

Graph no.12: Domestic and social commitment problems

 Domestic and Social
18.60%
Commitment problems
17.40% 18.00% 17.40%
20.00% 16.10%
16.00% 12.50%
12.00%
8.00%
4.00%
0.00%
s ty on en on
ily tie
m du ci e ra
ti
om ati
/ fa f so pe w in
nd o e o to m
a in
d th co Do
sb of rty
lk n e
hu a de No l ib
y Du tu d
sb atti ite
on nt
cti re Lim
je e
Ob di
ff
In

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the above table and graph we observed that, women have many social and domestic
problems being entrepreneur.

17.4 % of the respondents said that they had objections during launching of a project by their
husband/family. 18.6 % of the respondents said that they have to maintain family as well as
business so it is also a problem as well as challenge for them. 18% of the respondents are in
different attitude and 17.4% non-cooperation from their family. 16.1 % have limited liberty in
the society and 12.5 % of the respondents says that still there is a domination policy in the
society.
Problems coming in the way of professional/social/occupational mobility of women
entrepreneurs.

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Multiple duties 49 30.4%
Limited resources 46 28.6%
Lack of self confidence 31 19.2%
Pre-requisite of stability/security 35 21.8%
responsible for creating certain
problems
Total 161 100%
Table no.13: Professional/social/occupational mobility of women entrepreneurs

Graph no.13: Professional/social/occupational mobility of women entrepreneurs

 Professional/Social/Occupational Problems
35.00%
30.40%
28.60%
30.00%

25.00% 21.80%
19.20%
20.00%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%
Multiple duties Limited resources Lack of self Pre-requisite of
confidence stability/security
responsible for
creating certain
problems

Percentage

Interpretation:

Out of the total respondents, 30.4 % of the respondent’s states that Women have to do
multiple duties like maintaining the family as well as enterprise so it would be a problem for
her being entrepreneur as she could not give more concentration on her business. So it is a
serious problem in reaching a goal.

28.6 % of the respondents states that limited resources also a problem for them to run a
business which could be financial, technology, product or labour also.

19.2 % of the respondents state that self-confidence is very important for being an
entrepreneur. Lack of confidence also leads to loss in business.

21.8% of the respondent’s states that pre-requisite of security also creates the problem while
running a business.
Problems in availing Government help

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

A large number of official 61 37.9%
formalities
Delaying tactics by the 39 24.2%
Govt.department
Discrimination 28 17.4%
Unnecessary Govt. 33 20.5%
interference
Total 161 100%
Table no. 14: Problems in availing Government help
 Graph no.14: Problems in availing Government’s help

Government Problem
40.00% 37.90%

35.00%

30.00%
24.20%
25.00%
20.50%
20.00% 17.40%

15.00%

10.00%

5.00%

0.00%
A large number of Delaying tactics by Discrimination Unnecessary Govt.
official formalities the Govt. interference
department

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the above table and graph, we observed that women entrepreneurs are facing many
problems while availing Government’s help to set up and run the business.

37.9 % of the respondents says that official formalities are more in availing Government’s
help which is time consuming.

24.2% of the respondents says that Government department makes delay in procedure for
getting loan or any other process.

17.4% of the respondents states that there are possibilities of discrimination between male
and female.
20.5 % of the respondents says that interference of the government can be seen.

Marketing problems faced by women entrepreneurs

Particulars No. of respondents Percentage

Competitive challenges 41 25.5%
Inadequate information about 37 23.0%
changing market forces

Challenges posed by the 24 14.9%

availability of fake/spurious
products with the same label
Lack of encouraging response 28 17.39%
from the customer

Delay in collection of payment 17 10.5%

 Lack of adequate publicity in the 14 8.8%
midst of competitive market
forces
Total 161 100%
Table no.15: Marketing problems

Graph no.15: Marketing problems

Marketing Problems
30.00% 25.50% 23.00%

20.00% 14.90% 17.39%

10.50% 8.80%
10.00%
0.00%

Percentage

Interpretation:

From the above graph it was revealed that 25.5%ofwomen entrepreneurs faced competitive
challenges .23 % told us about inadequate information about changing market forces. 17.39%
said about lack of encouraging response from customers. 10.5% faced delay in receipt of
payment towards credit sales. 8.8% felt about lack of publicity of their products.

Majority faced competitive challenges and advertising of their products. Marketing a

product and customer satisfaction is a biggest problem as well as a challenge to the
entrepreneurs. Networking as well as communication is very important to get a space in the
market.

.
DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS

Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation

marital status 161 1 2 1.5093 0.50147

age group 161 1 5 2.4224 1.35388
educational background 161 1 5 2.7329 1.33584
form of orgaisation 161 1 5 2.3354 1.19344
Occupation before 161 1 5 2.4037 1.10893
becoming entrepreneurs
Opponents to the idea of 161 1 4 2.5466 1.14537
starting the enterprise?
The reasons for 161 1 5 2.8571 1.30794
compelling enterprise
various weaknesses 161 1 6 3.6087 1.7109
various threats 161 1 5 2.8634 1.3486
problems faced 161 1 4 2.4596 1.13465
financial problems 161 1 4 2.472 1.08433
 domestic and social 161 1 6 3.3354 1.65055
commitment problems
faced
Problems 161 1 4 2.323 1.12696
professional/occupation
mobility
Problems in availing of 161 1 4 2.205 1.15714
the Government's help?
Marketing problems 161 1 6 2.913 1.62554
faced by women
entrepreneurs
Valid N (list wise) 161

174
170
166
162
158
154
s
tu up nd on r
s e? e? es ts d
s a e s ed lity p ? rs? se)
sta gro rou isati neu pris pris nes hre fac blem fac obi hel eu twi Std. Deviation
l g e r r k t s s s n is
ita age ack orga repr nte nte ea ous lem l pro lem al m nt' pre N (l Mean
ar lb f nt e
e g e s w i
r ob ia ob on m tr id e e
m Maximum
o na rm o g e g th ellin riou va pr anc pr pati ern n e Val
ca
n
ti fo mi tin p va
r m fin ent ccu ov ome Minimum
u o a o G
ed
c t co itm al/ the by w N
be of s for m n f
n a s m io o d
atio ide son l co fess ling face
p
cu th re
e a cia ro ai s
Oc s to the so of p n av lem
t nd y s i ob
n en tic a wa lem g pr
po es he b n
op o m g t pro keti
d mi n ar
co m
s
blem
o
pr

Interpretation: From the above table, the highest score was 3.6087 was gained by various
weaknesses followed by 3.3354 domestic and social commitment problems. Marketing
problems faced by women entrepreneurs scored 2.913. Various threats scored 2.8634.
Reasons for compelling enterprises scored 2.8571. The lowest score was made by problems
in availing Govt. help which amounted to 2.205. Others scored 2.5466, 2.472, 2.4596, 2.323
 related to opponents to the idea of starting the business, financial problems, problems faced
and problems of professional mobility.

Case Processing Summary

N %
Cases Valid 161 98.8
Excludeda 2 1.2
Total 163 100.0
a. Listwise deletion based on all variables in the
procedure.

Reliability Statistics
Cronbach's
Alpha N of Items
.930 15

Correlations
What are the
Who were the problems
Which were opponents to faced by
the reasons the idea of What were the woman What were the
for compelling starting the various entrepreneurs various
enterprise? enterprise? weaknesses ? threats
** **
Which were the reasons Pearson Correlation 1 .032 .263 .306 .301**
for compelling Sig. (2-tailed) .691 .001 .000 .000
enterprise? N 161 161 161 161 161
Who were the opponents Pearson Correlation .032 1 .091 .123 .049
to the idea of starting the Sig. (2-tailed) .691 .253 .120 .540
enterprise? N 161 161 161 161 161
** **
What were the various Pearson Correlation .263 .091 1 .930 .922**
weaknesses Sig. (2-tailed) .001 .253 .000 .000
N 161 161 161 161 161
What are the problems Pearson Correlation .306** .123 .930** 1 .936**
faced by woman Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .120 .000 .000
entrepreneurs? N 161 161 161 161 161
 Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .540 .000 .000
N 161 161 161 161 161

What are the

What were problems
the domestic coming the
What were and social way of What are the
the financial commitment professional/ marketing
problems problems occupational What are the problems
faced by faced by mobility of problems in faced by
woman women women availing of the women
entrepreneur entrepreneur entrepreneur Government's entrepreneurs
s? ? s? help ? ?
** ** **
What were the financial Pearson 1 .955 .949 .924 .949**
problems faced by Correlation
woman entrepreneurs? Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 161 161 161 161 161
** ** **
What were the domestic Pearson .955 1 .946 .942 .954**
and social commitment Correlation
problems faced by Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
women entrepreneur? N 161 161 161 161 161
What are the problems Pearson .949** .946** 1 .960** .954**
coming the way of Correlation
professional/occupation Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
al mobility of women N 161 161 161 161 161
entrepreneurs?
What are the problems Pearson .924** .942** .960** 1 .957**
in availing of the Correlation
Government's help ? Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 161 161 161 161 161
What are the marketing Pearson .949** .954** .954** .957** 1
problems faced by Correlation
women entrepreneurs? Sig. (2-tailed) .000 .000 .000 .000
N 161 161 161 161 161
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

From the above table , it was revealed that the reasons for compelling enterprises is positively correlated with various
weaknesses ,problems faced and various threats faced by Women entrepreneurs at 0.263 ,0.306 and 0.301.respectively
at0.01 level of significance and at 0.032 with opposition to the idea of starting business at 0.05 level of significance.
The opponents to the idea of starting a business are positively correlated with other constructs at 0.032, 0.091, 0.123 and
0.049 at 0.05 level significance.
With regard to various weaknesses other constructs like reasons for compelling enterprise weaknesses faced and various
threats are positively correlated at 0.263, 0.930 and 0.922 at 0.01 level of significance

With respect to problems faced it is positively related to the opponents to the idea of starting
a business at 0.123 at 0.05 level of significance and positively correlated with other
constructs at 0.306, 0.930 and 0.922 at 0.01 level of significance.
Regarding various threats it was positively correlated at 0.049 with the opponents to the idea
of starting business. It is positively related to other constructs at 0.301, 0.922 and 0.936 at
0.01 level of significance.
Regarding financial problems it is positively correlated with constructs like domestic social
commitment, professional mobility, availing Govt. help and marketing problem at 0.955,
0.949,0.924 and 0.949 respectively at 0.01 level of significance.

With respect to domestic social commitment, it is positively correlated with other constructs
at 0.955, 0.946, 0.942 and 0.954 respectively at 0.01 level of significance.
Regard to professional and occupational mobility, it is positively correlated with other
constructs at 0.949, 0.946, 0.960, and 0.954 at 0.01 level of significance.
Regarding availing Government help it is positively correlated with other constructs at 0.924,
0.942, 0.960 and 0.957 respectively at 0.01 level of significance.
With respect to marketing problems it is positively correlated with all other constructs at
0.949, 0.954, 0.954 and 0.957 at 0.01 level of significance.
FINDINGS :

1. Out of the total responses 51% that is 82 are married and 49% that is 79 are unmarried.

To become a great entrepreneur tasks to discover new problems, reveal potential niche
opportunities, time management, communication, networking as well as finance to run the
business is necessary other than the marital status.

Therefore, marital status is not necessary to become an entrepreneur.

2. We understood that out of the total responses from the survey, 35.7%respondents are under
energetic age group of below 25, 21.7% respondents comes in the age group of 25-30, 16.6%
respondents comes in the age group of 31-40 while 17.2% respondents from the survey
comes in the age group of 41-50 and 8.9% respondents comes in the age group of 51 and
above.

Therefore, age limit is not required to become an entrepreneur. Women must have innovative
and decision making skills to start her career at an early age.

3. We found that out of the total responses, 21% of the respondents have the educational
background with primary while 22.9% of the respondents have done SSLC, 36.9% have
completed graduation and 19.1% of the respondents have done post-graduation from the
survey to become an entrepreneur.

It was found that majority of the respondents were graduates. This reflected the
unemployment problems looming large in the country. Post graduates also started doing the
business. Besides, those who were not able to continue education due to poverty or other
reasons were more. But they excelled in business.
4. We observed that 29.5% out of the respondents, women entrepreneurs started their
business as a sole proprietress while other form of the organizations of 32.7% as joint family,
18.6% as partnerships,13.5% as private limited and 5.8% are cooperative.

It is interpreted from the survey that somewhat majority of the women started their career as
an entrepreneur by starting up the organization as a sole proprietress and joint family when
compared to private limited and cooperatives. Women use to start up the organization
through partnership also.

5. It was observed that out of the total respondents 22.3% were house wife, 34.4% were
students, 28% were in employment while 9.6% were running family business and 5.7% were
social workers.

So to become an entrepreneurs, occupation of the women does not matter. Anyone could start
and run the business if they had encouragement and motivation to reach their specific goals.

6. We found that many reasons have made the women to start a business by themselves. Out
of the total respondents, 18.5% respondents were unemployed, 25.5% respondents had
dissatisfying jobs, 19.7% respondents started a business to use their idle fund while 24.8%
women had started to use their technical skill to start a business and 11.5% of the respondents
stared their business to use their leisure time on hand.

Here, majority of the women respondents had a dissatisfying job environment which was a
good sign in the sense that with a calculated risk one could earn more money within a shorter
time instead of getting a lump sum at the time of retirement.

7. We found that, women had many opponents before becoming an entrepreneur.

Out of the total respondents, we found that 25.5% respondents agreed that they had
opponents from their husband before starting the enterprise, 21.7% were parents while 26.1%
were in-laws and 26.7% were relatives.

Generally, opposition comes from the society members as in India it is male dominated.

8. From the survey, we found that there were weaknesses to the women entrepreneurs while
running the business.16.1% of the respondents had stated that when they did not have proper
idea about the business. 14.9% lack of in-depth knowledge regarding its marketing and
manufacturing and 16.8% calculating the risk is very important in a business when it does not
happen, it becomes a problem to the entrepreneur mainly to run a business. 16.1% mobility is
a weakness for them as an entrepreneur, they could not move freely due to some reasons.

18.7% of the respondents said that sometimes getting a loan from the bank and other sources
would be difficult that would be a greatest problem as finance is very important.

It was revealed that majority of the respondents do not have in depth knowledge about the
business and do not know how to face risk lacking in risk management.

9. Out of the total respondents, 18.6 % respondents said that they had shortage of capital to
run a business. Capital is very important to start as well as to run the enterprise. 26.1% of the
respondents said that they are facing competition from other enterprises of the same field.

21.7% agreed that they have less demand on their products because of competition.
Innovation is very important to satisfy the customers. 17.4% of the respondents quit the
business just because family obligation.16.2% faced obsolescence of product and technology
used to manufacture a product should be good and technically strong so that they can produce
innovative products else it would be a threat for the entrepreneurs to be stable in the market.

It was found that majority of the women entrepreneurs had faced competition and due to this
the demand for their product had come down. Some said also about the shortage of capital.

10. We found that out of the total responses, 29% of the respondents stated that they had
social problems being an entrepreneur, 18.1% of the respondents stated that they had
government problems as there are large official formalities in availing help while 30.3% of
the respondents said that they had financial problem and 22.6% of the respondents stated that
they had marketing problem as it is very important to satisfy the customers for getting profit.

We found that majority has financial problem as it is very important to set up as well as to
run the business.

11. Out of the total respondents, 23 % respondents says that they had problem from financial
agency as they were not encouraging them in extending loans or credits.29.8% of the
respondents said that most of the financial agencies have harsh and hard rules repayment
rules. 24.2% of the women entrepreneur says that there is no specific Governmental policy to
get some additional financial benefits for them grow.23 % of the respondents have capital
problems to start and run a business.
Therefore, majority have a problem of finance either at the beginning as well as during the
course of business. They also found it difficult to make repayment of loans taken by them.

12. 17.4 % of the respondents said that they had objections during launching of a project by
their husband/family. 18.6 % of the respondents said that they have to maintain family as
well as business so it is also a problem as well as challenge for them. 18% of the respondents
are in different attitude and 17.4% non-cooperation from their family. 16.1 % have limited
liberty in the society and 12.5 % of the respondents said that still there is a domination policy
in the society.

So, domestic and social commitment is also a critical problem to the women entrepreneurs.

13.Out of the total respondents, 30.4 % of the respondent’s states that Women has to do
multiple duties like maintaining the family as well as enterprise so it would be a problem for
her being an entrepreneur as she could not give more concentration on her business. So it is a
serious problem in reaching a goal. 28.6 % of the respondents stated that limited resources
also a problem for them to run a business which could be financial, technology, product or
labour also.19.2 % of the respondents stated that self-confidence is very important for being
an entrepreneur. Lack of confidence also leads to loss in business. 21.8% of the respondent’s
states that pre-requisite of security also created the problem while running a business.

So,dual role family as well as business made it difficult for the women to gain self confidence
in carrying on the business.

14. We observed that women entrepreneurs are facing many problems while availing
Government’s help to set up and run the business.

37.9 % of the respondents said that official formalities are more in availing Government’s
help which is time consuming. 24.2% of the respondents said that Government department
makes delay in procedure for getting loan or any other process. 17.4% of the respondents
states that there are possibilities of discrimination between male and female. 20.5 % of the
respondents said that interference of the Government can be seen.

So majority had faced the problem of office formalities and delay in processing of loans and
change of rules by the Government every now and then.

15. From the above graph it was revealed that 25.5%ofwomen entrepreneurs faced
competitive challenges .23 % told us about inadequate information about changing market
forces. 17.39% said about lack of encouraging response from customers. 10.5% faced delay
in receipt of payment towards credit sales. 8.8% felt about lack of publicity of their products.

Marketing a product and satisfying their product to the customer is a biggest problem as well
as a challenge to the entrepreneurs. Networking as well as communication is very important
to get a space in the market.

16. It was found that the highest score was 3.6087 was gained by various weaknesses
followed by 3.3354 domestic and social commitment problems. Marketing problems faced by
women entrepreneurs scored 2.913. Various threats scored 2.8634. reasons for compelling
enterprises scored 2.8571. The lowest score was made by problems in availing Govt. help
which amounted to 2.205. Others scored 2.5466, 2.472, 2.4596, 2.323 related to opponents to
the idea of starting the business, financial problems, problems faced and problems of
professional mobility.

.
Recommendations:

1. Marital status is not necessary to become an entrepreneur. We must encourage the

motivation at the early stage of a person’s life. Girl students of a college should be
encouraged through various programs to have a start up and make a venture. At present the
Government through MHRD has been encouraging through various programs at the college
level in various states.

2. We must teach a person about the business at the cradle stage itself. We must encourage
the habit of savings from the first standard itself. Here we must get a cue from Gujarathi and
Marwari communities who encourage the habit of savings at the early age itself , whether it is
a boy or a girl.

3. Age limit is not required to become an entrepreneur. Women must have innovative and
decision making skills to start her career at an early age The girl population should be
encouraged at the primary education level itself to formulate an idea of starting a business in
future along with their studies. When they reach SSLC, they will be able to formulate a plan
to start their own business.

4. Somewhat majority of the women started their career as an entrepreneur by starting up the
organization as a sole proprietrix and joint family when compared to private limited and
cooperatives. Women use to start up the organization through partnership also.

Joining partnership or a private company might be as a chance or opportunity.May be

because of their financial status of their husbands or parents or relatives. But there were 100
% partnerships in some cases as two to three women joined together to form partnerships or
societies. We must encourage sole proprietorships or 100% partnerships.
5. To become an entrepreneur, occupation of the women does not matter. Anyone could start
and run the business if they had encouragement and motivation to reach their specific goals.
Whatever may be the position of an individual, she must be encouraged to start her own
enterprise. The Central and State Governments have various schemes for women
entrepreneurs.

6. Majority of the women respondents had a dissatisfying job environment which was a good
sign in the sense that with a calculated risk one could earn more money within a shorter time
instead of getting a lump sum at the time of retirement.

The Government and its related departments have to conduct seminars and symposiums to
guide the women population about making money with a successful entrepreneurship rather
than struggling in a job with a meager salary. They must also be trained in risk management.

7. Generally, opposition comes from the society members as in India as it is male dominated.

It is recommended that through counseling the outlook of husbands and in laws should be
made to change. They are the persons who are bearing the fruits due to the hard work of the
women members of the house. They must be given the example of other countries like USA
as majority of the entrepreneurs are women.

8. Majority of the respondents do not have in depth knowledge about the business and do not
know how to face risk lacking in risk management

The Government department has to plan an annual or bi-annual conference at some

prominent places and give information about the entrepreneurship knowledge, manufacturing
opportunities, raw material availability, marketing plans, risk management and about the
security of women entrepreneurs. The Government should start giving hands on training to
women population in rural areas. They must also be encouraged to give innovative ideas
during the training

9. Majority of the women entrepreneurs had faced competition and due to this the demand for
their product had come down. Some said also about the shortage of capital.

The women entrepreneurs should be given training on marketing tactics as to how to win
over the competition. Diversification is one of the methods. Regarding shortage of capital,
we may say that now a day nationalized banks and financial institutions are liberal in giving
credit to entrepreneurs such as credit cards, working capital loans, seed capital, finance for
marketing products etc.

10. Majority has financial problem as it is very important to set up as well as to run the
business.

Now a day, it is very easy to get financial help from banks. There are various schemes of the
Government meant exclusively for women entrepreneurs. They have to go to Chamber of
Commerce of their particular district to get details of the schemes. Friends and relatives could
also be contacted. Moreover District Industrial Centers provide financial assistance at low
rate of interest. Hey also guide in official formalities and marketing of the products. They
also encourage starting industries in industrial areas.

11. Majority have a problem of finance either at the beginning as well as during the course of
business. They also found it difficult to make repayment of loans taken by them.

If there is any problem in repayment of loans the women entrepreneurs can ask for
rescheduling of loans getting more time in repayment with smaller installments. Additional
financial assistance by way of working capital is available in the bank. Startup loan as well as
seed capital is also available through various financial institutions like NABARD, ICICI,
Financial corporations and banks.

12. Domestic and social commitment is also a critical problem to the women entrepreneurs.

Those who oppose women entering into male dominated areas should be shown videos of
women driving local as well as long distance trains. Women driving auto rickshaws, taxis and
buses in city areas. They should be shown how society is changing. How village girls are
becoming successful business women. Examples like Kiran Muzamdar Shaw, Indira Nuyi,
etc. could be given.

13. Dual role family as well as business made it difficult for the women to gain self
confidence in carrying on the business.

A woman has to face difficulties at the beginning of any venture. Every business is
experiencing the same. As the business starts making profits and good income she could take
the help of servants for house chores so that she could concentrate on business. Likewise
there are various other ways of gaining self-confidence.
14. Majority had faced the problem of office formalities and delay in processing of loans and
change of rules by the Government every now and then.

Many women entrepreneurs may not be knowing that today one can avail loan from the bank
on-line by uploading the necessary documents. Every transaction goes on on-line. As the
account is Adhar linked and come under the preview of CIBIL (credit score).And the
Government has to change the rules every now and then to avoid frauds and misuse of funds
taken for business.

15. Marketing a product and satisfying their product to the customer is a biggest problem as
well as a challenge to the entrepreneurs. Networking as well as communication is very
important to get a space in the market.

Women entrepreneurs have to make continuous observation of the market of their products.
They must get regular feedback from the customers about the changes required in the
products. At present one can advertise through digital mode and place their product in social
media. This way they can crate win win situation over the competitors

16.The foremost attention should be given to the weaknesses as reported by the women
entrepreneurs. They should be given proper ideas about successful carrying of their business.
In depth knowledge about marketing of their products and methods of manufacturing at low
cost should be given to them under various platforms. Risk management lessons should be
taught to the women entrepreneurs. If this is done other problems will be solved on its own
once the business becomes successful.
 Conclusion

During the survey, many of the women entrepreneurs spilled the beans about their problems
and challenges. Many problems which they had faced had immediate solutions. But they
were not aware of the same. In conclusion, we may say that an awareness programme has to
be conducted by the Government departments or through Chamber of Commerce or District
Industrial Centers. Many entrepreneurs faced financial problems. But they were not aware of
the various schemes of the Government under which finance could be obtained from banks or
other financial institutions. A training on risk management and marketing of their products is
of utmost important. Social issues can be managed. Seminars or annual gathering of women
entrepreneurs where individual issues can be discussed and solutions can be found.
 Bibliography

1. http://www.skillsforemployment.org/KSP/en/Discussions/WCMSTEST4_175658
2. http://timreview.ca/article/921
3. T. Jakinow, ““The Rationale of Self help in Development Intervention A case study
4. of a Self Help Group Programme in Tamil Nadu” Journal of South Asian
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Delhi, 2006.
7. KCCI Mangalore.
8. 61 Biju M.R. “Women Empowerment - Politics and Policies”, Vedams Books (P) Ltd,
New
9. Delhi, 2006.
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11. Century”, Panda Sasanka Sekhar, “Orissa Review”, Department of Information &
12. Public Relation, Bhubaneswar, 2006.
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Problems, Research Paper Presented at National seminar on Women Entrepreneurship
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Science,M.S.University,Vadodara.
 ANNEXURE

Questionnaire

PROBLEMS AND CHALLENGES FACED BY THE WOMEN ENTREPRENEUR

We student of Sahyadri College of Engineering and Management, Mangalore. We are

conducting a study on problems and challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs-a
study with reference to Mangalore as a part of Karnataka State Council for Science and
Technology. So I kindly request you to fill the questionnaire as a part of our Government
project.

1. Name …………………………….
 2. Marital status
a) Unmarried
b) Married

3. Age group
a) Below 25
b) 25-30
c) 31-40
d) 41-50
e) 51 and above
4. Educational background
a) Primary
b) SSLC
c) Graduate
d) Post-graduate

5. Form of Organization
a) Sole proprietor
b) Joint family
c) Partnership
d) Pvt. Ltd
e) Cooperation

6. Occupation of women entrepreneurs before becoming entrepreneurs.

a) House Wife

b) Student

c) Employment

d) Family business
 e) Social worker

7. Which were the compelling reasons for starting the enterprise?

a) Unemployment

b) Dissatisfying

c) Use of idea funds

d) Use of technical skills

e) Leisure time on hand

8. What were the opponents to the idea of starting the enterprise?

a) Husband

b) Parents

c) In-laws

d) Relatives

9. What were the various weaknesses?

a) Lack of in-depth knowledge

b) No idea of business

c) Lack of mobility

d) Idea generation is less due to lack of interaction

e) No calculated risk

f) Delay in getting loan

10. What were the various treats?

a) Shortage of capital

b) Big unit competition

 c) Less demand

d) Giving up due to family obligation

e) Obsolescence of product technology

11. What were the problems faced by women entrepreneurs?

a) Social problems

b) Government problems

c) Financial problems

d) Marketing problems

12. What were the financial problem faced by women entrepreneurs?

a) The lack of encouragement by financing agencies in extending loans or credits.

b) Hard or harsh repayment rules

c) No specific governmental policy to create an awakening in generating extra

income.

d) Lack of capital to start the business

13. What were the domestic and social commitment problems faced by women
entrepreneur.

a) Objections by husbands/family members at the time of launching the project.

b) Dual kind of duties

c) In different attitude of the society

d) Limited liberty to women

e) Confronting the traditional male dominated society

14. What are the problems coming in the way of professional/social/occupational

mobility of women entrepreneurs?

a) Multiple duties
 b) Limited resources

c) Lack of self-confidence usually required for establishing one’s self in a lasting

manner.

d) Pre-requisite of stability/security responsible for creating certain problems.

15. What are the problems in availing Government’s help?

a) A large number of official formalities

b) Delaying tactics by the concerned Government department.

c) Discrimination with women entrepreneurs.

d) Unnecessary Governmental interference.

16. What are the marketing problems faced by the women entrepreneurs?

a) Competitive challenges

b) Inadequate information about changing market forces.

c) Challenges posed by the availability of fake/spurious products with the same label.

d) Lack of encouraging response from the customer.

e) Delay in collection of payment.

f) Lack of adequate publicity in the midst of competitive market forces.

17. What is your opinion on Women Entrepreneurs?
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