Women entrepreneurs

Women entrepreneurs have been transforming their small individual house-based business activities into a new business firm or enterprise for the last three decades mostly from the family back-up rather than institutional assistance and they proved that they have a marvelous potential in empowering women and changing society.

Women entrepreneurs are not only playing an important role in household management and woman empowerment but also contributing to achievement in economic development. According to ILO, an entrepreneur is the person who has a set of characteristics that typically includes self-confidence, result-oriented, risk-taking, leadership and future-oriented.

General Secretary of Women Entrepreneurs Association and Director of Institute of Hotel Management and Hospitality Ltd said, “In spite of having implemented rules and regulations by government, women entrepreneurs operating are bounded by some social customs, strong religious barriers and unsatisfactory traditional norms creating barriers in their smooth operation.”

General Manager, Micro Industries Development Assistance and Service commented in this regard: “In view of this problem it is somewhat hard for the organizations to perform their activities and programmers especially in dealing with women entrepreneurs working under several social constraints from getting trade licenses to assess to Banks.”

According to Mashi-ur-Rahman, risk assess management capacity is a main factor for development of entrepreneurship. Our entrepreneur’s especially rural women generally depend on traditional technologies. They don’t have any financial resources. Most of them are depend on monetary support from husband and family, so they are not aware about taking risk by introducing new technology.

Another survey by Md Saiful Islam and Md Aktaruzzaman reveals that most of the businesswomen lack business ideology and professional skill. For example, their survey data reveals 78% females have no knowledge, only 4% rural entrepreneurs have experience and knowledge more than seven years.

Rubina H Farouq has recommended the following to make easy for the women entrepreneurs such as, simplification of sanctioning loan procedures, decrease the rate of interest, loan without collateral security, linking loan with industrial policy and women development policy. Professor Masuda Choudhury emphasized providing necessary financial assistance and skill development programmers to the tribal women especially in Sylhet, Mymensinh and Chittagong Hill Tracts who have affluent and diversified weaving heritage that have liberated tribal women to achieve a self-employed identity.