Women entrepreneurship in the Indian middle class: Interdisciplinary perspectives

Entrepreneurship can result from necessity as well as opportunity, and women entrepreneurs pursue goals beyond economic gains.’ ‘There is no gender differential in drivers of business expansion. The small scale of business does not inhibit women-owned micro enterprises from expanding.’ In Women Entrepreneurship in the Indian Middle Class, Unni, Yadav, Naik and Dutta explore entrepreneurship using a gender and class lens from multidisciplinary perspectives. They examine the evolution of the field and uncover factors impacting women's participation in entrepreneurship. Defining entrepreneurship broadly to include not just ‘new economic activity’ but operations of all economic enterprises, the authors attempt to understand: What motivates women in India to operate enterprises ranging from small and medium to large enterprises? What is the nature of occupations and entrepreneurship within segments of the middle classes? What kind of opportunities do women pursue? Using a novel macro and micro research approach, the authors propose an enabling framework of women entrepreneurship ecosystem in India and highlight the way forward. The insights from this book will help policymakers formulate appropriate ‘nudge’ techniques to encourage productive entrepreneurship. This book is a must-read for researchers and aspiring women entrepreneurs for grasping the dynamics of this emerging area.