Women entrepreneurs in India: a systematic literature review

Abstract

PurposeThis paper aims to organize the existing empirical research on women entrepreneurs (WEs) in India, highlight the research areas that have not received attention and present opportunities for future research.Design/methodology/approachA systematic literature review (SLR) was performed on 74 scholarly articles focusing on WEs in India and published between 1993 and 2020. This review is structured around the 4W framework used in previous SLRs. The review is directed by the following foci: what do we know about academic research on WEs in India? How were these studies conducted? Where were these studies conducted? Why should academicians and practitioners consider WE research?FindingsThe authors arrived at four main themes underlying the empirical research on WEs: success factors for WEs, challenges faced by WEs, factors that attract and motivate WEs and performance measures for WEs. While challenges and success factors have received attention from researchers, there is a distinct lack of papers on factors that attract or motivate WE and performance measures. The main gaps identified were a lack of theoretical basis in studies, reliance on interview and survey-based methodology and a lack of context-specific studies.Research limitations/implicationsThe findings of this review are limited to WEs operating in India. Only Scopus-indexed journals listed in the Australian Business Dean's Council Journal Quality List (ABDC JQL) were included in the final SLR list.Originality/valueThis is one of the first studies to use a systematic approach to provide a detailed account of the state of the literature on women's entrepreneurship research in India.

Indian women entrepreneurs: implications for personality characteristics

“…In the previous studies which were conducted in India, challenges were identified and the reasons behind them were also explored; challenges are as follows: lack of regulation or law, lack of formal education, financial resources (Koutoupis et al, 2023), skilled labor, informal financing, role models, networking, training and education, lack of work-life balance, ease of entry, discrimination and assessing technology (Agrawal et al, 2023;Baral et al, 2023;Rastogi et al, 2022;Noor et al, 2022;Pradhan, 2019;Shastri et al, 2022;Tripathi and Singh, 2018;Khandelwal and Sehgal, 2018). The reasons behind these problems are gender biases, societal norms, competition from larger firms, cultural and social norms and lack of awareness, skills and infrastructure (Chaudhari et al, 2020).…”

“…, 2023), skilled labor, informal financing, role models, networking, training and education, lack of work-life balance, ease of entry, discrimination and assessing technology (Agrawal et al. , 2023; Baral et al. , 2023; Rastogi et al.…”

Women's Agripreneurship in India's Maharashtra State: An Analysis of the AC and ABC Scheme

“…There is a growing body of research on women entrepreneurship [11][12][13][14][15][16] and participation of women in agriculture and Agripreneurship in India. [17][18][19][20][21][22] However, there is still limited understanding of the status of WA and the factors influencing women's involvement in the AC&ABC scheme and the potential benefits of their increased participation in this initiative.…”

Empowering Women through Microfinance: a Journey of Economic Reform

“…Women entrepreneurs continue to confront tremendous obstacles in obtaining financial resources and ending the cycle of poverty, particularly in emerging nations, even in the face of notable advancements in women's empowerment efforts (Winn, 2005). Their ambitions to become financially independent and entrepreneurs are hampered by a lack of loan availability, a lack of financial awareness, and deeply rooted gender biases (Baral et al, 2023). The general socioeconomic development of communities is hampered by this lack of financial inclusion, which also maintains gender inequities and stunts the growth of womenled companies.…”