Personal and socio-environmental perspective on challenges of female entrepreneurship in India

Entrepreneurship is an important activity in the economy as it facilitates the creation ofemployment, the development of innovative products, societal development, and thegeneration of government revenue. However, a prevalent challenge in developing countrieslike India is that female entrepreneurs are often not as successful as their male counterpartsdue to various underlying factors. The under-representation of female entrepreneurs inentrepreneurial activities in India underscores a need to understand these factors toencourage more females to venture into entrepreneurship to support their families andpromote the growth of society. This research examines perceptions of female entrepreneursin India on the personal and socio-environmental factors influencing entrepreneurialsuccess and the relationship of those perceptions with longevity in business (years inbusiness) as a proxy for success. An online questionnaire was developed and administeredto female entrepreneurs in India, and the resultant data was analysed using multinomiallogistic regression to predict female entrepreneurial success. Findings show femaleentrepreneurs’ perceptions of personal factors such as business knowledge, risk-takingbehaviour, and emotional intelligence, predicted female entrepreneurial longevity in India.In addition, perceptions of family support and government policies significantly predict thelongevity of female entrepreneurs in India. Perceptions of both traditional and modernchallenges as factors significantly influence female entrepreneurial longevity in business.This study contributes to knowledge by providing an understanding of the relationshipbetween perceptions of female entrepreneurs in India and their longevity in business. Itintroduces a conceptual framework, grounded in the theory of planned behaviour, whichprovides an initial understanding of the role of perceptions in the complex dynamics offemale entrepreneurship in the Indian context. The study’s conceptual framework andfindings offer actionable insights to provide support to female entrepreneurs in India,informing efforts to create a more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystem in India. The studyhighlights the role that perceptions play in the entrepreneurial success of femaleentrepreneurs in India. Based on the findings, the study makes recommendations to developand promote a comprehensive entrepreneurial programme, to strengthen support systemsand emotional intelligence development for early-stage entrepreneurs, and to improveperceptions of government policies through awareness and accessibility of governmentpolicies.