When you consider the topic – is entrepreneurship the best career path for women, you will find that there are many reasons. The freedom to choose, drive and passion can make a woman feel at home in the world of entrepreneurship.
The proportion of women, who have gone out to start their own business, has risen in the 21st century. And many of them feel that flexible working conditions as good reason for setting up their own business. Today, there are too many success stories of women who are breaking the glass ceiling and emerging as role models.
But, is flexibility the only pull for women?
Firstly, it is the freedom of choice. There’s more to female entrepreneurship than flexibility. A flexible working environment is important, but it’s more about ‘choice’. The choice to create a female-friendly culture, and the liberty to become an independent individual. And, it is seen that they create a female-friendly culture, which is a culture that is built on collaboration – on a sense of ‘tribe’ and joint purpose. It is also a culture that is competitive but for a bigger purpose. Another important ingredient I think is trust. If the culture is built on trust, then a lot of working practices help women work in a way, that suits their family circumstances.
Then there is the ‘drive’ factor. Research has pointed to the fact that women, in general, are more emotional than men. This is normally translated into why women are harder to work with but, most significantly, this can translated into ‘drive’. This is what keeps women entrepreneurs going, even when faced by challenges, but it ultimately, leads them on.
Passion is at the root of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship – without the passion to create and build, it is often seen that no entrepreneur would last. This yearning for change is shown by many women entrepreneurs. And, it is noticed, for most women, getting back to their respective careers after a break is often fuelled by passion. And, when they get involved in their own start-ups, this passion fuels their action plan.
Women looking for work-life balance or flexibility in their work commitments have an option now – to work from home through various start-ups. Technology enables them to manage their product offerings, orders and finances online. Startups offer women entrepreneurs the suitable opportunity to drive their passion. And the government has also opened up many initiatives to help.
It was estimated that the number of females entrepreneurs were set to rise, with the government announcing a Rs 5000 crore credit guarantee fund under the “Stand Up India” scheme. Under this scheme, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, had announced that banks will provide loans at the “least applicable rate of interest”. The Udyog Aadhaar is a scheme which helps small enterprises register themselves under the Ministry of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) through an easy and simple process of filling a one page user-friendly online registration form. Our PM has taken special interest in the Digital India and the Beti Bachao initiatives – which is a positive sign for women entrepreneurship.
So, flexible workplaces are a win-win for women entrepreneurs!
Avtar Madan
Himanshu
Shree Lahiri
