Constraints on Women Entrepreneurship Development in Kerala: An ...

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derstandable were urgent. They all agreed that government help is essential to promote women’s industry, particularly in ensuring them adequate market access. A view that came up for serious discussion was that a major cause for marketing difficulties faced by women entrepreneurs was the nature of the products. For example, enterprises producing non-conventional products and services needed only mild marketing efforts (e.g.: computer software). Unfortunately, women enterprises are few in this line. Risk-aversion is a bane of women entrepreneurs. Their outlook needed urgent change. Women entrepreneurs had to show better awareness of available support programmes and make earnest and persistent efforts to securing the benefits. Travelling to long distances, particularly to places outside the State, for processing raw materials, was a real problem which most entrepreneurs faced; traditions, opposition from own families, lack of exposure to the world outside were all parts of the constraints women faced. In consequence, several women entrepreneurs make do with local sources for inputs and local markets for sale of products or services. Household responsibilities constituted another serious drag on their energy and time. Public criticism, harassment, and sexual assaults were also problems, which women entrepreneurs often encountered. Access to information in areas of business was low for women. Consequently, they seldom venture into new and challenging areas of business. Some entrepreneurs felt ill-equipped to compete with men in a man’s world. Personnel management was another problem area. Finding skilled labour of the requisite type is a tedious task. Skilled workers had a tendency to change jobs frequently seeking better fortunes. Management of ‘expert’ workers is a difficult job. Experts rarely respect a woman as boss and seldom relish the idea of taking orders from her. Thus women entrepreneurs often end up with non-competent and unsteady labour. They find negotiating with the government a difficult job; officials seldom co-operate; even after repeated visits, subsidy and other benefits of SSI registration remain beyond reach. Officials indulge in giving evasive answers and false promises. Obtaining licences and grants too were more problematic for women than for men. Women found it difficult to probe why grants were denied to them and why there was no response even to their written complaints. Bank managers were another difficult lot. They usually refuse to get convinced about the bona fides of the requests for loans made by women entrepreneurs. Some rules and regulations make the situation more difficult. For example, the stipulation that PMRY loan cannot be given if the annual income of the applicants is more than Rs 24,000, has wrought havoc in many cases. Ninety-five percent of the participants found government formalities vexing and time-consuming. Sales tax exemption was another problem they shared in common. Even though in theory 32
there is an exemption for seven years, women entrepreneurs find it difficult to submit accounts in the required format. In the early developing phase of business, it is cumbersome for women entrepreneurs to prepare periodical accounts with precision especially in contexts of violent fluctuations in business fortunes. 33
Page 1 and 2: Constraints on Wom
Page 3: Contents 1. Introduction 5 2. Metho
Page 6 and 7: mentality) is rampant among women u
Page 8 and 9: social and psychological compromise
Page 10 and 11: leads women to locate their enterpr
Page 12 and 13: 2. Methodology The study was conduc
Page 14 and 15: found to be only service units. The
Page 16 and 17: (who showed definite prospects of s
Page 18 and 19: 3. Enterprises and Entrepreneurs Of
Page 20 and 21: The enterprises of all the caste gr
Page 22 and 23: Tale 3.12 Reasons for Taking up Ent
Page 24 and 25: MMU Mean 89 88 87 86 85 84 83 82 Fa
Page 26 and 27: general, the strength of the family
Page 28 and 29: Retirement period About 5 percent o
Page 30 and 31: They were also advised to hold disc
Page 34 and 35: 5. Family Support and Enterprise Pe
Page 36 and 37: Psychological analysis The followin
Page 38 and 39: ously a high degree of overlapping
Page 40 and 41: End Notes 1 Calculated risks are th
Page 42 and 43: Pujar V.N., Development of Women En
Page 44 and 45: 15. Wetland Resources of Northern K
Page 46: 45. Residual illiteracy in a Coasta

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