A Pathway to Women’s Entrepreneurial Success through Social Innovation and Gender Equality

This paper examines the intersection of social innovation and financial inclusion, focusing on how policy frameworks and innovative financial tools impact women’s entrepreneurial growth in India. The present study focuses on the growth of SMEs since 2000. The data of the business registered in India have been compiled from two different sources i.e. The Ministry of Corporate Affairs and the World Bank’s Entrepreneurship database. The data belonging to the distribution of male and female wise entrepreneurs have been compiled from the various annual report of MSME. By analyzing gender-specific barriers and evaluating policy outcomes, the study aims to provide actionable recommendations for fostering inclusive and sustainable development. The study carried out using two-sample t-test test further captured the uneven growth with a significant difference in male and female entrepreneurship in India. There has been improvement but much more still needs to be done from policy level down to the grassroots by the government, especially at leadership level, the private corporations and civil society organizations to ensure that women entrepreneurial opportunities are fostered for the women of India to fully participate in overall economic development of the country.