Empowerment through Enterprise: A Study of Women Entrepreneurs’ Social, Economic, and Profitability Status in Telangana, India

Women entrepreneurs are increasingly recognised as critical contributors to global socio-economic development. It has become a vital contributor to socio-economic development, particularly in regional economies such as Telangana. This study assesses the empowerment of women entrepreneurs across three districts of Telangana, focusing on social, economic, and entrepreneurial dimensions, along with overall empowerment and profitability levels. A total of 180 respondents formed the sample, and data were collected through a structured survey. A structured survey was conducted, and respondents were categorised into low, medium, and high empowerment groups. The collected data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS), version 16.0. Appropriate statistical techniques were applied to interpret the findings and draw meaningful conclusions. Findings revealed that the majority of women entrepreneurs exhibited medium levels of social (47.22%), economic (51.67%), and entrepreneurial empowerment (50.00%), with overall empowerment also concentrated at the medium level (59.44%). Profitability analysis showed that most respondents (66.11%) reported profit margins between 60–78%. Furthermore, ICT usage was found to be significantly and positively correlated with all components of empowerment—social (r = 0.320**), economic (r = 0.211**), entrepreneurial (r = 0.253**), overall empowerment (r = 0.321**), and profitability (r = 0.275**)—at the 1% level of significance. These results highlight the crucial role of ICT in enhancing empowerment and profitability by improving access to resources, strengthening decision-making, and enabling business growth. The study concludes that while women entrepreneurs in Telangana are moderately empowered, greater policy support, training, and ICT adoption can facilitate their advancement, thereby contributing to inclusive and sustainable regional development.