Navigating the Labyrinth: Understanding and Addressing Multifaceted Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs in Rural Punjab

The study delves into the intricate challenges confronting women entrepreneurs in rural and urban landscapes, highlighting diverse obstacles requiring focused interventions.Women contend with time constraints, balancing external employment and domestic duties, exacerbating stress and hindering entrepreneurial pursuits.Unpaid responsibilities restrict their exploration of paid work, especially in rural areas where only 18 percentage of women participate in paid jobs nationally.Sociocultural factors, notably patriarchal norms, impede women's entrepreneurial paths, compounded by stigmas related to strength and competence.Rural challenges involve financial barriers, high production costs, and market-related issues like competition and inadequate infrastructure.The study emphasizes the need for targeted interventions to address these multifaceted challenges, urging policymakers, business leaders, and society to create an enabling entrepreneurial environment for women to thrive.