Highest number of women entrepreneurs in TN, Kerala

Women empowerment may be a catch phrase for policy-makers, but when it comes to running businesses, members of the fairer sex are not getting their due.

Women operate just 13.76% (80.50 lakh) of the 5.84-crore establishments engaged in different economic activities in the country, according to the latest sixth economic census.

Tamil Nadu (10.87 lakh) and Kerala (9.13 lakh) have the highest number of units owned by women entrepreneurs. Karnataka is ranked sixth with 5.45 lakh establishments, while Delhi has just 70,434 such units, a mere 0.87% of the total units in the national capital.

Agricultural sector has the highest number of women-headed units at 27.61 lakh units (34.3%), followed by manufacturing 23.99 lakh (29.8%) and trade 14.80 lakh (18.23%).

“Equal access and control over economic and financial resources for women are critical for the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of women as well as equitable and sustainable economic growth and development,” the report said.

Data on women entrepreneurship at national level are “rather scanty” and this is the first time questions related to women entrepreneurship in proprietary ownership are added in the economic census, it said. Another interesting aspect of women entrepreneurs is that 79.07% of their units are self-financed, while funds collected through financial assistance from government are a dismal 3.37%.