Challenging issue of women entrepreneurship in India: Gender Gap & how to close it

Development of women entrepreneurship is very low in India in comparison to developed countries. Entrepreneurship development and skill training is not the only responsibility of Government and therefore other stakeholders need to shoulder the responsibility. Developing and developed nations have realized that developing women entrepreneurship is need to flourish as economically dominant nation in the modern high-tech world. In Hindu scriptures, woman has been described as the embodiment of shakti. But in real life she is treated as Abla. Women are leaving the workforce in droves in favor of being at home. Not to be a homemaker, but as job-making entrepreneurs. The increasing presence of women in the business field as entrepreneurs has changed the demographic characteristics of business and economic growth of the country. Women-owned businesses enterprises are playing a more active role in society and the economy, inspiring academics to focus on this interesting phenomenon. This paper addresses two questions: Why does the gender gap in entrepreneurship persist? And, what does the literature suggest to us about the best ways to promote women's entrepreneurship? Based on a feminist perspective this paper conclude that current women entrepreneurship promotion policies in developing India, benefit individual women entrepreneur when the gender bias in the context is embedded, efforts may remain in vain and without any significant social impact.