WHAT FACTORS CONTRIBUTE TO THE LOW PARTICIPATION OF WOMEN IN ENTREPRENEURIAL INITIATIVES? INSIGHTS FROM A QUALITATIVE INVESTIGATION IN TAMIL NADU, INDIA.

Abstract

Background: Entrepreneurial schemes have emerged as a vital resource for addressing financial needs in lower-middle-income countries. However, their impact on gender equality and equity remains inadequately understood. This study examines the reasons for the lower utilization of entrepreneurial schemes by women compared to men in a southern Indian state. It seeks to identify gender barriers across diverse social institutions that impede the policy goals of enhancing financial security and fostering a more inclusive financial ecosystem for women entrepreneurs.

Methods: A qualitative examination of the Comprehensive Entrepreneurial Schemes was conducted in economically disadvantaged urban and rural areas of Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India. Women and men who had recently benefited from entrepreneurial schemes were purposively selected for interview. Transcribed interviews were subjected to content analysis using Naila Kabeer’s Social Relations Framework, with gender as the analytical lens.

Results: Analysis revealed gender barriers hindering women’s access to entrepreneurial schemes at the household, community, and programmatic levels. Within households, factors such as unpaid care responsibilities, financial dependency, mobility constraints, and entrenched gender norms posed significant obstacles. At the community level, exclusion from business activities stemmed from various social inequities. Market ideologies regarding women entrepreneurs, coupled with financial constraints, limited knowledge, uneven access to support services, and social stigma. These gender-specific barriers were perpetuated by all four institutional realms: household, community, market, and state, resulting in diminished utilization of the scheme by women.

Conclusions: Entrepreneurial initiatives aimed at enhancing financial security and facilitating access to finance must prioritize gender as a pivotal social determinant. A gender-blind approach to entrepreneurship schemes risks leaving existing gender barriers unaddressed and exacerbating others. This paper underscores the imperative for entrepreneurial schemes and programs to explicitly integrate gender and other social determinants to foster equitable access and outcomes.