Women who aspire to be entrepreneurs face a series of challenges right from the beginning, such as access to finance, lack of proper training and various other social barriers. Banks and financial institutions are not coming forward to provide financial assistance to women borrowers on the grounds that they are less creditworthy and hence insist on collateral. These were some of the issues discussed and debated at a round table on ‘Market opportunities for women-owned business’.

The event was organised here by WEConnect International, a corporate-led non-profit organisation that facilitates women business owners to succeed in global markets, along with TiE (The Indus Entreprenuers).

Earlier, setting the context, Sucharita Eashwar, Executive Director of WEConnect International, quoting UN data, said globally women do 66 per cent of work, receive 10 per cent of the income and own one per cent of property.

Successful women entrepreneurs including G. Sree Vidya (Chairman and Managing Director of RSPL Group of companies) and Srimathi Shivashankar, AVP, Diversity and Sustainability, HCL, shared their experiences and learnings. Srimathi Shivashankar highlighted the need for building a ‘diary of women entrepreneurs’.

D. Sabitha, Principal Secretary, School Education Department, Government of Tamil Nadu, elaborated on why global majors such as Walmart do not procure products from enterprises run by women. She said usually women entrepreneurs employ low technology in the process of production. As these companies insist on a particular quality, women have to fight hard to survive against their male counterparts who have vast experience and capacity to adopt advanced technology in rolling out quality products.

She also pointed out how the State Government encourages and facilitates entrepreneurship in general.

ravikumar.ramanujam@thehindu.co.in

Related Topics
comment COMMENT NOW