Challenges Women Entrepreneurs face in Asia!

29th October 2014

Women entrepreneurship is gaining importance in Asia in the wake of economic liberalization and globalization. The policy and institutional framework for developing entrepreneurial skills, providing vocational education and training have widened the horizon for economic empowerment of women. However, women constitute only one third of the economic enterprises because entrepreneurship remains an essentially male-dominated area. Women engaging in entrepreneurial activities in this patriarchal society are deluged with challenges. In most cases their initiatives are curbed and the majority of women hardly get the encouragement as they are always associated with domestic chores and taking care of the family. Work-life balance also poses as an obstacle and raising a family alongside running a business brings with it a series of challenges for women entrepreneurs. Fulfilling the traditional role of homemaker most of the time bars women from devoting long hours at work. Women entrepreneurs given adequate opportunities can trigger economic growth for the nation but lack of financial support plays a deterrent for the sustainable development of women entrepreneurs in Asia. Women usually don’t gain access to credit as easily as men and the various financial schemes available are replete with bottlenecks which usually strangle the growth process. The majority of women have to either use their own funds or resort to borrowing from others to set up their business. Apart from this, another key issue which troubles women entrepreneurs is carrying out the promotion and marketing of their products which are usually faced with hurdles and the women have to face stiff competition from their male counterparts. Moreover, constantly negotiating deals with men in every step of the way can sometimes be a little intimidating for the women as they are prone to getting bad deals from men. Shortage of raw materials and high production cost are areas women entrepreneurs always have to keep in mind when they are starting their own business. These are the potential threats for women business owners in the way of development and restrict the expansion process. Access to relevant training and proper education is an absolute requisite for the development of women entrepreneurs in Asia. Lack of proper education is a huge hindrance for the majority of Asian women especially the rural and the semi rural population and is a dent in their confidence level. Government should also extend substantial support to the women’s polytechnics and vocational training centers for imparting training to more and more women and help them develop necessary skills. But entrepreneurial bent of mind is also necessary for women entrepreneurs to sustain and succeed.



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