Women Entrepreneurship

“Aerodynamically, a bumblebee shouldn’t fly, but then she doesn’t know about that handicap and goes on flying anyways”

-Anonymous

courtesy- webopower.com

Entrepreneurship is essentially a ubiquitous term in today’s economic as well as social landscape. It has been trending for a few years now and ever since the millennial found a way to be job creators rather than seekers, the term has gained increasing significance.

So, what’s the great fuss about entrepreneurship. It is commonplace. Correct? Yes, to a certain extent. But when the question of women being at the helm of startups and creating a new product or a service, it does raise an eyebrow or two. The world is still under a bit of patriarchal mentality when it comes to women heading new businesses. But, as the saying goes, “Good thing come late but stronger”.

The world coughed when they say an Indira Nooyi heading a global MNC or a Sheryl Sandberg taking strides with Mark Zuckerberg. Women occupying executive positions in leading MNCs and rubbing shoulders with the who’s-who of the industry doesn’t come as a surprise. The world indeed worships meritocracy and if a woman can topple men and be competitive, so be it. This however, sounds utopian. The reality is starker, when viewed from an ethnographic perspective and a regional lens.

If we look at women entrepreneurship in Indian context, there is still a lot of work to be done. Not just in terms of the governmental policies and framework but also the mentality. Women are traditionally viewed as beings with less risk appetite and fear of failure. They are emotional beings who will eventually succumb to the viscitudes of family life and won’t go all the way with their ventures. Well, the Government of India has done its it bit to make the access of capital easier of women to start small businesses and be economically independent but the other obstacles still persist. One of the issues that comes to mind is the mental clot of not being able to make it to the proverbial table. This attitude of low self-esteem and not backing their abilities hinders the risk taking ability in the feminine gender.

The probability of women creating businesses in counter-intuitive. Men led businesses have failed more spectacularly. For women, it is the lack of options and the added burden of family- related responsibilities that hinder their businesses to thrive. A Sheryl Sandberg rightly said, “If Option A doesn’t work out, kick the shit out of Option B”. This is the kind of attitude that budding women entrepreneurs require to succeed. If they keep wallowing for job security and the need of liberalism, it won’t fetch them the success they need. They need to think big and long-term.

The statistics and the personal attributes support women. Women are naturally more imaginative and intuitive. They have superior communication skills than their more famed counterparts. Women also need not be clouded by the “tech surge” and feel that they’re out of place. We can take the example of Shehnaz Hussain and Ekta Kapoor- two women who have made it big in the glam world which are conventionally easier for women to venture into.

The icons of women empowerment like Oprah Winfrey and Angela Merkel dwell on the citadel of aggressive entrepreneurship and urge women to try and build a next Apple or Microsoft and not stay limited to an in-house pickle manufacturing unit. In India, the starts would be small, the steps would be tiny but then the aforementioned examples show the capability and potential in store. Federation of Indian Women Entrepreneurs (FIWE), is a dedicated governmental organization to promote self-dependence leading to economic and social liberation among Indian women. In addition, the Skill India program being run by the incumbent government further consolidates the confidence of women vying to enters MSMEs etc. There are several Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and Stree Shakti Schemes which offer credit and platform for women to collaborate and network with respect to business. The need of the hour is to think beyond the social stigma and vagaries of feminism and embrace the new economic landscape that is glittered with opportunities.

The American and the European notions are more inclined towards ambition and this is something the Asian women can learn. It is their right to sit at the table and not the sidelines. They need not be apologetic about devoting more towards their work and dreams rather than kids. They need to pay that opportunity cost if they are to succeed. As Charles Bukowski said, you need to die a few times before you can really live.

“The day isn’t far when the dollar will have a female printed on it”

Written by:

Udit Bhatia

MBA (IB)

2015-17

Indian Institute of Foreign Trade