Common Obstacles Faced by Women Entrepreneurs

Even though the wave of feminism has made almost everyone taste the water, it is still a farfetched dream to bring equality in every aspect and every field, especially in India. In India alone, one can compare the numbers of women entrepreneurs with that of men entrepreneurs.

On National Girl Child Day, it is time to take a look at the state of women entrepreneurs on Indian mainland and how they can be prepared for the dangers lying ahead of them in the battlefield of gender-based business roles.

 Here are a few obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs in India:

Funding:

Indian women have limited access to funding. Firstly there is not enough property that falls in their basket, even if they fall; they basically are directed to their male partners’ account.

Even if they approach banks or investors for funding, they are tuned down because the investors and bank assume that they might not run their business successfully and might leave the project midway.

These drawn assumptions form the biggest obstacle for women entrepreneurs.

Support Network:      

For any business, it is very important to trust the idea and let it grow.

Many investors either do not trust the idea pitched by the women or do not acknowledge it coming from women.

In a male-dominated society, it becomes difficult for women to build their network of support. The initial resistance comes from family and then from outside, which forces many women to drop their idea.

Balance:

Balancing life is required for entrepreneurs irrespective of their gender. Little sacrifices here and there to run the wheel of life smoothly.

Women were seen as ones who take care of family and do the household chores, which is why when a woman tries to start her business after overcoming the other two major obstacles, she has to balance her personal and professional life.

Many women either stop working or opt for easy jobs post their marriage or pregnancy; they are expected to spend more time with family and in-house.

So a woman has to work doubly hard to balance her professional and personal life to keep the flame of her zeal towards her business always glowing.

Risk of Failure:

Failures are the stepping stones on the path of success, but for a woman, the risk of failure is too high.

In every sphere of life women are asked to prove their worth, so to prove their worth as a businesswoman or entrepreneur, they have very limited space to grow and if they fail, space starts squeezing.

The risk of failure is very high for women because she loses her worth in front of her investor’s, client’s and her staff’s views, which is why she either has to think zillion times before coming to a business decision or not to take the risk at all.

Fight with Denial:

Women entrepreneurs stay in a constant state of denial. They are denied access to a lot of opportunities for their gender, which is why to prove their worth, they constantly fight with denial.

Not all women are capable enough to fight, which is why only those who fight, rise above the horizon, rest all succumb to the pressure.

Women Entrepreneurs should learn to tackle all the possible obstacles before stepping into the battleground.