IIT Madras finds key factors that empower women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu

The researchers conducted a study to understand why and how women entrepreneurs chose their path into entrepreneurship and continue along their path. 

Researchers of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras have found that a majority of women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu are driven by a combination of pull such as “market opportunity” and push factors such as “necessity.” Economic motivations are not the primary reasons to venture into entrepreneurship.  

Tamil Nadu has maximum women-owned enterprises 

The researchers conducted a study to understand why and how women entrepreneurs chose their path into entrepreneurship and continue along their path. According to the All India report of Sixth Economic Census (2016), Tamil Nadu had the maximum number of women-owned enterprises with at least one hired worker in India. The study was conducted in Tamil Nadu by interviewing women entrepreneurs between September and December 2019. 

Factors that help TN women survive in business 

The factors that were found to motivate women entrepreneurs to get into business were: 

• Passion,  impulse to create something new, an affinity for challenges,  creation of social values, 
• Desire  for work-life balance,   
• Social  support (from the spouse and family), and   
• Institutional  support (such as government aid and subsidies). 

Rupashree Baral and Jasmine Banu from the Department of Management Studies, IIT Madras, conducted the study. The findings were published as a research paper in the peer-reviewed journal, ‘Journal of Enterprising Communities: People and Places in the Global Economy’.  

Although income and profit are usually low, the women entrepreneurs said they were satisfied and showed confidence in continuing the business. According to the study, most women entrepreneurs stated that having a business gave them a sense of accomplishment, financial security, career satisfaction, flexible working hours, and a sense of happiness to have the opportunity to influence others' well-being. 

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