Look at the Challenges of Women Producers

Spread the love

There are a considerable number of Women self-employees in India who engaged in local productions. The majority of them represent rural areas and almost every one of them represents poor families. The challenges of these women producers are special and different from the men in productions. Therefore, this article will provide you the data about the challenges of women self-employees face in their life. Let’s look at the problem and see whether these challenges are different or similar to the conditions in your country.

Challenges of Women; Women in South Asia

South Asia represents the lowest rate in the world in women’s labor force participation and the lowest in women’s entrepreneurship. As per the reports of United Nations ESCAP 2015, only 8% to 9% of formal Small and Medium Scale Enterprises are owned by women in South Asia.

The deep-rooted patriarchal culture and values which is available in South Asia influence women’s status, conditions, women’s career choices, and even the perception of their capacity, ability, potential, confidence, and other skills. Women in South Asia are having less ability to offer collaterals, less ability to access credits in the banks, and fewer asset ownerships. The cultural barriers define and limit women’s and girls’ property rights.

Challenges of Women Producers in India

There is a considerably large number of women in India who engage in the informal sector self-employment. These women produce many products for the local economy. Farm-Based activities related to animal husbandry, Cottage Industries, and producers in the street are some of these categories. Agricultural activities, Fresh Flower cultivation, and selling, Cultivate and selling fruits, dairy farming and selling fresh milk, Produce milk based productions/ food items, Making Incense sticks, Clothing and garment making, making jewelry, pottery, making food items, small shops, and handmade productions are main sectors where Indian women mostly engaged in.

Decision-making capacity of women

As per the findings of United Nations ESCAP 2015 reports, it is reported that the majority of the woman in business in India have relied on a male family member. The male family members may be such as a father or husband. Moreover, 14% of them are on other male members in her family. Only 5% of the women in business are having sought help from government agencies or institutions.

The majority of the Women self-employees at grass root level in India still don’t have a culture and background of taking straightforward decisions for themselves, their businesses, or family. Family influence on her decision-making is still a common factor among women in rural.

Leadership and women

Kishori Lal in his book “Gender afflictions in Entrepreneurship” brings about that entrepreneurship requires some qualities such as problem-solving, negotiating, persuasion, meeting different types of persons, and action learning. Entrepreneurship also requires a considerable degree of control as well. So attitude towards a woman entering the business is negative in society according to Kishori Lal. Accordingly, he says there is a lack of self-worth and difficulties in being accepted as a boss in the male world.

That means all the qualities he mentioned for being a woman entrepreneur can consider soft skills or leadership skills. These qualities are not expected from a woman by the traditional society in India. Society wants men to be smart and leaders while women to be feminine. That is why he says society has no positive attitude towards women when it comes to business ventures in the Indian context. So, we can say that being an entrepreneur is not an easy task as she has to challenge the social order and traditional mentality until she succeeds in her business.

Ownership of property and women

Anitha Benerji and Raj Kumar Sen (2000) clearly explain the existing challenges and barriers of Muslim Women in their book which is titled “Women Economic Development”. As per their findings of them, women do not have equal rights to property. “Muslim women in India do not have an equal right to property. Gold ornaments in ‘stridhan’ legally belong to women. But can be disposed of only with the consent of the males. Laws provide coparcenary ownership in family property on the same level as sons but discrimination against married daughters and widows goes on. ” They say.

Many Indian Sociologists argue that women cannot do Entrepreneurship as a whole-time job. Kishori Lal, an Indian Sociologist is one of them. “Women cannot and do not take up entrepreneurship as a whole-time job with ease. Women Entrepreneurs are hardly 8.25% to 9.85% in 1992 of the total entrepreneurs. It requires a culture set in which people live with uncertainty, bearing immeasurable risks which F. knight reminds us again and again. The culture set further requires a considerable degree of freedom of decision-making. It also requires access to resources and their ownership”. – “Gender afflictions in Entrepreneurship”, (p257)

Fulfill the Traditional Roles and mindsets

As per the findings of Lalitha, N in her publication titled “Self-employment for Rural Women – Need for credit Plus Approach”, she explains that Balance her personal life with responsibilities as a wife, mother, and daughter-in-law along with her economic activities is the main challenge for Indian women who engaged in self-employments. Because no one will let you skip the responsibilities of the family. Women have to cover the responsibilities of a woman as a culture define them as “women’s work”.

Sakuntala Narasimhe (1999) in her publication named “Empowering Women” explains how society reacts when husbands support women in self-employment to balance their household work. Society criticizes that as “men doing women’s work”. According to her, it is not only a problem for men who do not want to share the housework. But it is a problem for society too. Because men feel that others in society will make fun of and citizen them if they share household work. That is why they do not help women to complete the household work.

Furthermore, Madhu Kumari (2011), in her study titled “Women Empowerment and Social Change” explains that social and cultural barriers such as hostile values and attitudes, family structure, and individual value systems are the main challenges of women in India. She observes that behavioral barriers such as negative self-image, self-confidence, passivity, and perspective barriers stop women’s development as self-employees.

Vulnerability of women producers

Sakuntala Narasimhe (1999) in her publication named “Empowering Women” explains that in her book, she explains that the majority of the women involved in the informal sector of economic activities are among the poorest of poor. These Women producers are having limited education skills and few formal employment opportunities. Most of the time, these women producers have started their self-employment with the hope of helping families to come out of poverty and improve the family economy.

Less accessibility to resources

Madhu Kumari (2011), has recognized seven main barriers for women entrepreneurs to grow up in her study titled “Women Empowerment and Social Change”. As per her studies, women have less access to get credits for their business, women have less access to reach and awareness about technology, women have less access to get correct information, and women have less access to get government support.

She explains the educational barriers for women too. She observes bias and discrimination in the admission criteria, progression criteria, exit criteria, and curriculum bias for women in the education sector. Moreover, she explains that there are so many barriers for women to receive vocational training opportunities and extension training opportunities.

Limited access to the business network is another challenge that women producers face in India. Therefore, they do not receive the correct information at the correct time. Further, they miss a lot of business opportunities as well. The majority of the rural women self-employees do not have enough industry contacts. These conditions limit women’s business development.

Marketing issues of women

Marketing the products is also one of the main challenges that women producers or self-employees face in their life. Benerju, Anita, and Sen, Raj Kumar (2000) in their publication titled “Women Economic Development” explain the disadvantages of women entrepreneurs in marketing.

They find that the women producers have to find raw materials for their productions. Finding raw materials is a challenge for women as women are keeping less network and mobility comparing men. Therefore, the majority of women producers have to deal with middlemen to buy raw materials and at the same time to sell the products as well. In these conditions, women have less power of bargaining capacity compared to men. Women have to pay more for raw materials and they have to sell their products for a minimum price as well. All these situations minimize her profit margin.

Labeling to Caste and Discrimination

Not like other countries, caste discrimination is very strong in India. Accordingly, caste members use produce different traditional productions as per their caste in history and even at present. Therefore, the work they do or the productions they make represent their caste as well. In such conditions, women producers have to face caste discrimination and cannot come out of that labeling.

Sakuntala Narasimham (1999) in her book named “Empowering Women” emphasizes this fact. She recommends the government as follows. “In the case of Indian Society, Rural scheduled caste and scheduled tribe women who form a subset of the rural poor population, lack not only money incomes and skills, but also more vitally, self-assurance and motivation of women too.”

Conclusion of Challenges of Women Producers

Women in India struggle a lot and make positive changes in society in each era. But still, there are many socio-economic challenges for women to come across even at present. Men who support women’s empowerment are doing a great role as well as women who stand for women. So, let’s make a better world for women where our women can receive equal consideration, equal opportunities, and equal payments in the business world and as well as the workplace.

Challenges of Women Producers: Summary of the content

This article is a continuation of our article serious on women’s empowerment. We are discussing here in this article some of the main challenges faced by women self-employees in India. Decision-making, Leadership, ownership of property, Fulfill the Traditional Roles and mindsets, Vulnerability of women producers, less access to resources, marketing issues of women, Labeling to Caste and women producers are some of the main challenges which women are facing in India as challenges which we have discussed here. We have given some of the sources for you to read further on this topic if you prefer to get a deep understanding of this subject.

Special Note

Thank you for reading our article. We hope that we could provide a basic idea about the challenges women self-employees in India face. Please Note that the secondary data which I have used here in this article has been collected through the Books available in the University Libraries in India. As we are talking about Indian Society here, I have followed the research, books, and publications of Indian authors and sociologists.

Please do comment on us and share your experiences and challenges as a woman in our respective country. Such information is important for our readers.

Look at the Challenges of Women Producers

Challenges of Women; Women in South Asia