INTRODUCTION:

Entrepreneurship plays a substantial role in developing and expanding the economic structures of any country across the world. It creates job opportunities for individual(s) belonging to different sections of society, including both the privileged and underprivileged, irrespective of gender¹. However, due to gender discrimination, capital inequality, lack of supporting environment, inadequate access to resources and markets, etc., women have to face more challenges than men².

In India, women have traditionally held a variety of functional positions outside of the home, such as those in forestry, agriculture, dairying, and caring for cattle. Even with their extensive expertise, management skills, and inventiveness, they face several obstacles when launching their business units. Various scholars have underscored the commonly accepted notion that women are better at managing resources and making sound decisions. However, the obstacles women experience in their economic attempts are made worse by the patriarchal norms and male-dominated family structures that are prevalent in Indian society³. Such societal forces make it difficult for women to establish themselves as well-recognised entrepreneurs, which may be influenced by their social capital, monetary affairs, and decision-making. In the same vein, cultural limitations, gender preconceptions, etc., confine the access to business work for Dalit women entrepreneurs. In order to combat these hindrances, the elimination of structural injustices and the promotion of an atmosphere that supports women's entrepreneurship must be encouraged. This will potentiate the ability of women to contribute to both social and economic advancement⁴.

Although the constitutional provisions in India provide equal rights for practice occupations as per their capacities for all in the country’s economic structure. But caste and gender-based discrimination are still prevalent in several parts of the nation. In particular, Dalit women face significant obstacles that hinder their ability to flourish as entrepreneurs. To tackle such hindrances, comprehensive strategies must be enforced to ensure fair means for Dalit women to become successful entrepreneurs, which can also retouch their traditional societal location⁵.

This review study aims to examine the significant challenges faced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in India. The relevant studies will be comprehensively reviewed, and major problems faced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in different societies will be identified. The findings of the study may provide useful insights to policymakers for promoting the entrepreneurial development of Dalit women and empowering them to become successful business owners.

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE:

The goal of the study is to provide a thorough analysis of the large amount of research on the challenges experienced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in India. The study also seeks to offer recommendations to regulators and competent officials to enhance the existing situation of Dalit women entrepreneurs by identifying the main issues.

METHODOLOGY:

In this study, the investigator adopted peer-reviewed literature and books published by various reputed journals and publication houses to help them understand the challenges and hurdles faced by Dalit women in the domain of entrepreneurship. This report tries to illuminate the interplay of restrictions and prohibitions of entrepreneurial growth for Dalit women entrepreneurs, such as market accessibility, resource allocation, organisational intervention, and much more, within the framework of sociological understanding. The investigator used entrepreneur, entrepreneurship, social entrepreneurship, social capital, and women entrepreneurship as operational variables to understand the study theme through the sociological lens of understanding.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

This research study undertakes a meticulous examination of the existing literature to comprehend various features and areas addressed by earlier researchers. It additionally proved essential to be aware of the details and topics that needed to be explored in relation to this specific title through various aspects and perspectives, including their methodology. A short and brief review of literature in the context of Dalit women entrepreneurship is made here, covering several issues related to the research problem. Here, the literature was surveyed, and several themes were covered through authentic sources from various books and articles. The study has taken into consideration the available literature on the phenomenon of Dalit women's assertion, Dalit women’s entrepreneurship, and its various socio-economic profiles related to the research problem, etc.

Arumugam (2014) examined the Dalit women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu state and recognised the constraints faced by women entrepreneurs, which were influenced by several factors that restricted them from growing in entrepreneurship⁶. The study found that issues such as lack of education, poor economic status, lack of access to resources and information, etc., were significant barriers impeding the growth of women in entrepreneurship. Dey (2019) identified several major obstacles that prevent Dalit women from pursuing entrepreneurship: a lack of confidence in themselves to launch a business, difficulties managing work and personal commitments, a lack of technical help, and limited access to information⁷. Ukonu et al. (2011)⁸ studied the challenges, opportunities, and problems Dalit female entrepreneurs in Gwagwalada face. These include inadequate management, intense competition, unfavourable location, low product patronage, ignorance, and restricted information availability.

Bhuvaneshwari and Annapoorani (2015)⁹ carried out research in the Tamil Nadu state's Coimbatore area in India and analysed the problems experienced by Dalit women entrepreneurs during their entrepreneurial growth and advancement. The influencing factors that might have elevated the Dalit women in entrepreneurship were lack of financial assistance, economic reliance, poor infrastructure, and lack of knowledge and motivation. These were identified as major drivers that pulled Dalit women back from entrepreneurial activities.

Nisargapriya (2018) studied the socio-economic status of rural women entrepreneurs in five states of India: Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab. Lack of support from family, financial dependence, gender inequality, etc., were found as major hindering factors that can shake the women's entrepreneurial development in the regions selected for study¹⁰. The findings also revealed that women are less aware of the financial and institutional support provided by the government. They were not so serious about paperwork but conscious with regard to social factors and societal forces. The main problem facing Dalit female entrepreneurs, according to Shetty et al. (2019), is societal and cultural conventions that limit women's capacity to make extra money¹¹. As per Hafizullah et al. (2012)¹², female entrepreneurs encounter hindrances due to male dominance, such as restricted mobility, participation in the business realm, and customer engagement.

Amaldass and Gnanadev (2016)¹³ analysed the several development phases of women entrepreneurs in rural Uttarakhand in the context of their entrepreneurial growth and entrepreneurial activities. The goal of the study was to understand the challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in the Almora district. In order to assess the Dalit women entrepreneurs, the study considered 50 Dalit women entrepreneurs as respondents, and data was collected through semi-structured, scheduled interviews. The study findings rely on various drivers like poor infrastructure, lack of knowledge and experience, lack of access to information, etc., which were unveiled as key challenges faced by the women entrepreneurs of the studied area. In addition to this, it should be emphasized that access to resources, markets, customers, etc., is directly influenced by weather and mountain land, which mainly affect the Dalit women entrepreneurs in the aforementioned areas. Palaniappan et al. (2012)¹⁴ analysed data from 90 respondents to analyse the problems and opportunities confronting women entrepreneurs in the Erode District. They discovered that a lack of effective leadership was the main problem, followed by a lack of funds, a lack of organised planning, a lack of knowledge, and a lack of suitable training. The primary barriers to starting a business, according to Rao et al. (2012) study "Challenges faced by women entrepreneurs running micro, small, and medium scale fashion and apparel business in coastal Karnataka," were a lack of funding, heightened competition, and a labour shortage¹⁵.

Another study performed by Amaldass et al. in 2017 studied the challenges rural Dalit women entrepreneurs face in Uttarakhand¹⁶. The data was collected through interview schedules from Dalit women entrepreneurs operating different micro and small-level enterprises. Several problems, such as inadequate infrastructure and lack of education, have been recognized as significant obstacles that prevent women entrepreneurs from engaging in business ventures in hilly regions. Another key reason they could not access markets and resources was gender constraints enacted by cultural limitations. According to Priyadharshini and Wesley (2013)¹⁷, one of the major challenges faced by female entrepreneurs is their limited mobility. Additionally, they note that obtaining appropriate assistance and information is a major barrier to their success while establishing a business in rural locations. According to Habibi et al. (2012), obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs in rural areas included a significant dependence on middlemen, intense rivalry, elevated production expenses, and restricted mobility¹⁸. Lincoln (2012) conducted research on the possibilities and challenges encountered by female entrepreneurs in Nigeria¹⁹. The study found that the country's female entrepreneurs encounter several unfavourable aspects related to the business environment, including inadequate infrastructure, restricted access, and elevated financing costs.

Paramasivan (2015) investigated the reasons for exclusion from the economic structure that hampered both the social and economic standing of entrepreneurs, specifically Dalit women entrepreneurs and the discrimination faced by such entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu²⁰. It is evident, and one can argue from the available literature, that domination of the upper caste, high competition in markets, economic and capital restraints, etc., were found to be major challenges. The study also underlined that entrepreneurial growth can be enhanced by promoting training programmes, equal distribution of resources, and improving infrastructure facilities.

Rajashekar and Ramesh (2015) aimed to examine the challenges faced by Dalit Women entrepreneurs in Chamarajanagar District in Karnataka state during their entrepreneurial activities²¹. The investigation used 80 Dalit women entrepreneurs as their respondents in the universes of the study, where the data were collected through the snowball sampling method. The authors discussed in the results that the Lack of investing capital, male-dominated market and society, caste discriminatory practices, cultural restrictions and poor infrastructure facilities were identified as major challenges faced by the entrepreneurs of the studied area. However, the authors also shed light on a comparison between the traditional and contemporary societal and economic status of Dalit women and Dalit women entrepreneurs. When Singh (2010) looked into the problems that rural women entrepreneurs faced, they found that most of them had little knowledge of finance and banking processes²². Kanchana et al. (2010) outlined several challenges faced by female entrepreneurs in Theni District, encompassing labour, raw material, financial, and marketing concerns. A number of factors, including a lack of capital, the inability to use modern processing techniques, a lack of government support, and a lack of training, significantly hampered rural women's agro-food processing enterprises²³.

Thapar et al. (2019) conducted the study in two different states, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh in India, belonging to two entirely diverse geographical locations²⁴. Eventually, both states had different cultural constraints that negatively affected the entrepreneurial activities of Dalit women entrepreneurs. The authors mainly focused on rural areas more than urban in the selected areas for assessment. The study marked the factors contributing to the disempowerment of Dalit women entrepreneurs in rural areas in the selected universe of the study. The findings of the study reveal the shocking determinants, such as prevailing social practices, patriarchal norms, lack of financial support, the balance between family responsibilities and economic practices, etc., which were recognised as significant factors that Dalit women entrepreneurs faced as challenges during their entrepreneurial growth. Investigators also compared the entrepreneurial level between rural and urban Dalit women entrepreneurs, such as type of business, level of business, profit, etc. and found enough differences in every sense of establishment as entrepreneurs. Mohan et al. (2014) discovered that Indian rural women entrepreneurs encountered managerial, technological, marketing, and financial challenges in their critical research of rural women entrepreneurs from Uttar Pradesh's Moradabad District²⁵. There were one hundred female entrepreneurs in the sample. Authors states that the main problems faced by female entrepreneurs were a shortage of raw materials, insufficient marketing, intense rivalry, insufficient capital, and a lack of experience and training.

Devanathan, (2014) tried to explore the legislative changes required to authorize the Dalit women in Tamil Nadu²⁶. The study was based on primary data collected from 150 women entrepreneurs in the Cuddalore district. The research findings highlighted numerous factors, including poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to resources, caste-based prejudice, etc., as significant problems. Furthermore, it was also revealed that additional government initiatives are required to address the issues Dalit women face in the region under study. According to Ghosal (2018), a lack of capital and a lack of knowledge about government resources were obstacles to the expansion of women's businesses in rural areas²⁷. Authors found that the primary obstacles to women entrepreneurs' successful firm launch were a lack of finance, business training, and financial and planning skills after completing extensive nationwide research of 468 female entrepreneurs. The Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Kerala, noted in a 1984 evaluation of the women's industrial initiative in Kerala that the obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs included scarcity of capital and raw materials and fierce competition.

Kumar (2014) investigated the impact of social and cultural factors on women entrepreneurs²⁸. Kumar took 280 women from the Garhwal and Kumaon regions of the Uttarakhand state as samples through the snowball sampling method. Apart from the generally considered factors, the study determined the social and cultural status of the entrepreneurs, which were directly influenced by the male-dominated patriarchal society and cultural constraints. The study also examined the residential and family background of chosen Dalit women entrepreneurs, which occurred as major factors influencing the efficiency of women entrepreneurs. In their exploratory study on women entrepreneurs, Ahmed (2018) found that women's problems were mostly related to marketing, debt collection, funding, and movement²⁹. As a consequence, women in the entrepreneurial field had to put in more effort to succeed. As to Suganthi's (2009) findings, female entrepreneurs encounter several obstacles, such as restricted physical and occupational mobility, less educational attainment, and an overall scarcity of resources in comparison to their male counterparts³⁰. In addition, women are less connected than men, and their lack of negotiation skills and administrative knowledge all work against them in terms of productivity and profitability. Goyal (2004) argues that a lack of funding is not the only thing that might keep women-owned enterprises from growing³¹. Because women were more likely than men to work in low-return industries, their wages were lower than men's. In addition, women usually spend a disproportionately high part of their income on household expenditures and are typically denied access to family money for investing purposes compared to men.

Madhavilatha (2017) aimed to study the factors influencing the entrepreneurial development of Dalit women in the state of Telangana in India³². The author accumulates the data from 56 Dalit women entrepreneurs through a random sampling method out of the total number of Dalit women entrepreneurs. The study mainly examined a lack of entrepreneurial encouragement, unwanted fear, and other such factors significantly affecting the development of Dalit women entrepreneurs in the studied region within the state. The findings suggested that there is a need to change the social and entrepreneurial milieu for Dalit women entrepreneurs. In order to become successful entrepreneurs, Dalit women entrepreneurs should be motivated to become fearless and come forward for business ventures. When Kiran and Srivastava (2011) looked into the problems Goan women who worked for themselves encountered, they found that the primary problems these businesswomen faced were marketing, limited access to raw materials, a lack of manpower, subpar infrastructure, and insufficient funding³³. The primary challenges faced by female entrepreneurs, according to Singh (2009), were a lack of technical know-how, an overwhelming amount of work responsibilities, a lack of knowledge about different organisations and government initiatives, a negative attitude toward their families, and a lack of confidence in their own abilities³⁴.

Kausar et al. (2013) examined the family environment with regard to business, social capital and family cultural pressure. The authors assessed the entrepreneurial activities and growth among Dalit women entrepreneurs through already nominated factors in the study by sociological understanding in depth. The criteria chosen by researchers are considered very prominent in the existing society in India. The study underscored that deep-rooted gender biasedness and family pressures are the major challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in India. The findings of the study also suggested that supporting the environment at home, including their social capital, may help in upsurging the entrepreneurial growth of women in India³⁵. Many women entrepreneurs have decided not to expand their businesses, according to Batola and Singh (2017), in order to deflect criticism from the public and potential legal issues, fees, and other obstacles³⁶. Tovo (1991) lists a variety of obstacles faced by women who operate for themselves, including limited access to capital, resources, and markets³⁷. According to Maheshwari (2001), among the difficulties female entrepreneurs face are insufficient training, a lack of professional involvement, a lack of role models, and a lack of appropriate experience³⁸. According to Hisrich and Brush (1994), women often shoulder most childcare and cleaning responsibilities, leading to work-family issues. Inequalities between male and female entrepreneurs may result from this and the difficulties that many women face owing to their lack of prior work experience and management background. These issues include decisions about market entry, difficulties encountered during startup, and other issues²⁷.

In the same vein, Priyanka and Preeti (2022) focus on societal hindrances, including male-dominated markets, access to the markets, unequal resource distributions, and family pressure on women entrepreneurs. The study was conducted in the rural area of Uttarakhand. The investigators choose Dalit women entrepreneurs as their respondents. The operational primary data was collected through the universe of the study from 50 respondents through the snowball sampling method. The investigation demonstrated that the balance between family and entrepreneurial activities was found to be pressures from family and cultural restrictions. Furthermore, remote location was also found as a major problem due to which the entrepreneurial growth has remained limited in the hilly regions of the nation³⁹.

Other studies, such as Patel and Mondal (2022) and Satsangi and Malhotra (2024), identified gender discrepancy that recognised as a markable influence on the growth of women entrepreneurs in India^{40, 41}. Singh (2021) highlighted inadequate entrepreneurial skills, lack of education, poor health status, economic discrimination, and remuneration inequality as significant challenges faced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in India⁴². In the same vein, Naaz and Malhotra (2020) suggested that gender biasedness, insufficient income, lack of family support, etc., hinder the growth of Dalit women entrepreneurs in India⁴³. Das (2000) found work-family conflicts and lack of access to resources and markets to be major challenges faced by the Dalit women entrepreneurs of Tamil Nadu and Kerala⁴⁴. Gaikwad (2012) mentioned factors like lack of capital, lack of knowledge, lack of communication skills, etc., as major factors that significantly impact the entrepreneurial growth of Dalit women in India⁴⁵. Jarakeswara et al. (2003) looked at the problems that Goan women who worked for themselves encountered, and they found that the primary problems were limited raw material availability, insufficient infrastructure, low labour, inadequate money, and marketing. The primary challenges faced by female entrepreneurs⁴⁶, according to Hasheminejad (2005), were a lack of technical know-how, an overwhelming amount of work responsibilities, a lack of knowledge about different organizations and government initiatives, a negative attitude toward their families, and a lack of confidence in their own abilities⁴⁷. Khondkar (1998) carried out a study in Bangladesh and found that cultural isolation from participating in outside-the-home markets for the purpose of buying inputs and selling items puts women at risk of losing control over loans to male relatives⁴⁸.

Punitha et al. (1999) reported that women entrepreneurs encountered three main challenges: limited marketing resources, lack of knowledge of government initiatives, and trouble obtaining loans⁴⁹. According to Narasimhan (1999), there was a lack of adequate implementation of entrepreneurial development programs aimed at improving entrepreneurial abilities, and there were no real attempts made to establish training programs that would be both acceptable and feasible for the growth of women entrepreneurs⁵⁰. Insufficient financial resources, a reluctance to seek professional help, a lack of established social and commercial networks, a lack of job experience and knowledge, and a lack of role models are only a few of the core problems Mayoux (2001) found for female entrepreneurs⁵¹. A 2013 study by Deshpande and Sharma found that a number of obstacles faced by female entrepreneurs included a lack of infrastructure, a shortage of raw materials, a lack of space, and insufficient training⁵. In her 2003 study "Constraints on Women Entrepreneurship Development in Kerala," Nirmala Karuna D'Cruz found that ordering and procuring raw materials are the two areas where women entrepreneurs have the most difficulties. Among the difficulties experienced by female company owners were long work hours away from home, a dearth of facilities, paying rent, and employing additional employees. In her study "Problems of women micro-entrepreneurs in Chennai with special reference to access to credit⁵²," Jesurajan et al. (2011) identified the main challenges faced by women entrepreneurs as being inadequate infrastructure, limited credit availability, lack of electricity, and lack of community recognition⁵³. However, Rai and Sijariya (2019) pointed out that illiteracy and the role of social media influence the rate of female entrepreneurship in India⁵⁴.

Hasheminejad (2005) claims that finance was a challenge for female entrepreneurs in Jamaica, also the lack of infrastructure, information technology, assets, and finance is the biggest barrier faced by female entrepreneurs⁴⁷. Sharma (2013) found that intellectual, psychological, economic, cultural, social, and legal barriers prevent women from participating in entrepreneurship. These restrictions impede Iranian women entrepreneurs as well. In her study, "An analysis of entrepreneurship development in women through EDP pieces of training⁵⁵," Sushma (2007) discovered that the primary obstacles to establishing and expanding women-owned enterprises were fierce competition, a lack of market facilities, and inadequate advertising⁵⁶. Poor unit placement, fierce competition from larger, more established units, limited transportation options, and a shortage of raw materials were listed as the top issues faced by female entrepreneurs by Stanley (1987). He states that although the number of women choosing to work in family-owned businesses has increased, these companies still face lower status and more operational challenges⁵⁷. Shankar and Vijayalaxmi (2007) looked at the challenges and opportunities faced by women business owners in North Coastal Andhra Pradesh. She found that low self-esteem, unhealthy competitiveness, and a lack of resources are the three main issues these women deal with⁵⁸. Examining Singh (2013), we can see that the primary obstacles keeping women out of the workforce are things like a lack of community inadequate training and educational facilities, information access restrictions, and a lack of support Women are confined by their lack of resources and lack of self-confidence. ownership of a business⁵⁹. Table 1 shows the summary of some of the reviewed research papers.

Table 1. Summary of some of the reviewed research papers

Sr. No.	Authors	Title	Study Area	Objective	Findings
1	Arumugam (2014)⁶	Dalit Women Entrepreneurship in Tamil Nadu – Challenges and Achievements	Tamil Nadu	To study the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu	Lack of education, lack of role models, poor social status, lack of access to resources etc. were found as major challenges.
2	Bhuvaneshwari and Annapoorani (2015)⁹	Dalit Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship: A Case of Coimbatore District	Tamil Nadu	To study the problems faced by women Dalit entrepreneurs.	Lack of financial support, economic dependence, lack of knowledge and motivation were identified as major problems.
3	Nisargapriya (2018)¹⁰	Entrepreneurship: A Path for Empowerment of Dalit Women in Rural Area	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab	To study the socioeconomic status of rural Dalit women entrepreneurs	The participation of Dalit women was found to be less than that of men, and they were found to be less aware of the Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DICCI).
4	Amaldass and Gnanadev (2016)¹³	Rural Dalit Women Entrepreneurs and Development Scenario: A Study.	Uttarakhand	To study the major challenges faced by rural women entrepreneurs.	Factors like like poor infrastructure, lack of knowledge and experience, lack of access to information etc. were found as major challenges.
5	Amaldass et al. (2017)¹⁷	A Study on the Rural Dalit Women Entrepreneurs in Almora District of Uttarakhand State.	Uttarakhand	To study the major challenges faced by rural Dalit entrepreneurs.	Various factors like lack of knowledge, poor infrastructure facilities etc. were identified as major challenges.
6	Paramasivan (2015)²⁰	Economic Violence Against Dalit Entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu.	Tamil Nadu	To explore the socioeconomic status, entrepreneurial profile, various problems, violation and discrimination encountered by Dalit entrepreneurs.	Domination of upper caste, high competition, economic restrains etc. were found as major challenges.
7	Rajashekar and Ramesh (2015)²¹	Dalit Women Empowerment Through Entrepreneurship in Rural Area: With Special Reference to Chamarajanagar District.	Karnataka	To study the problems faced by Dalit Women entrepreneurs in Karnataka.	Lack of finance, male dominance, caste discrimination practices, poor infrastructure facilities were identified as major challenges faced by the entrepreneurs of the studied area.
8	Thapar et al. (2019)²⁴	Empowerment Mechanisms-Employment Guarantee, Women and Dalits in India.	Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh	To explore the factors contributing to the disempowerment of the dalit women entrepreneurs of rural areas of Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh	Prevailing social practices, patriarchal norms, lack of financial support etc. were found as major factors.
9	Devanathan, (2014)²⁶	Economic Measures for The Empowerment of Dalit Women in Tamil Nadu.	Tamil Nadu	To explore the policy measures needed to empower the Dalit women in Tamil Nadu	Poverty, illiteracy, lack of access to resources, caste-based discrimination etc. were found as major problems.
10	Kumar (2014)²⁸	Socio-cultural Influence on Women Entrepreneurs: A Study of Uttarakhand State.	Uttarakhand	To examine the effect of socio- cultural factors on women entrepreneurs in Uttarakhand.	Entrepreneur’s socio – cultural status, their residential background was revealed as significant factors.
11	Madhavilatha (2017)³²	Women Entrepreneurship in Telangana Challenges And Opportunities.	Telangana	To study the factors affecting entrepreneurial development of women in Telangana	The study identified lack of motivation unwanted fear and other such factors significantly affecting the development of women entrepreneurs.
12	Das (2000)⁴⁴	Women Entrepreneurs from India: Problems, Motivation and Success Factors.	Tamil Nadu and Kerala	To study the problems faced by women entrepreneurs in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.	The study reported that work-family conflicts and Starting a business might be challenging for women due to limited resource availability.

Source: The Authors

The literature suggests that Dalit women entrepreneurs face more hurdles for marketing-related activities. Dalit women entrepreneurs suffer even more due to societal forces, cultural norms and the so-called social status. The existing research on Dalit women entrepreneurs in India showed various challenges faced by them due to gender discrepancy and caste-based exclusion. Studies have highlighted various barriers that hinder the entrepreneurial development of Dalit women in India. Research also points out that discrimination is faced by Dalit women in different states across the country, including Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Uttarakhand, etc. Furthermore, studies have also suggested measures needed to foster Dalit women’s entrepreneurship and promote the overall economic development of the nation.

Key Challenges Encountered by Dalit Women Entrepreneurs in India:

The reviewed literature mentioned above highlighted a few crucial points which are more relevant to the challenges faced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in India. It needs to be retouched to bring changes or upliftment in entrepreneurship in the context of Dalit women entrepreneurs.

· Lack of capital.

· Lack of ideas for the new venture.

· Technological lag.

· Lack of managerial skills.

· Insufficient access to markets.

· Lack of business tactics.

· Insufficient skilled manpower.

· Less knowledge of documentation.

· Lack of social capital.

· Lack of awareness of policies.

· Discrepancy in resources.

· Use of outdated technology.

· Cut-throat market competition.

· Societal constraints.

· Incapable to take risks.

· Psychological fear and societal constraints.

· Balance between family responsibilities and entrepreneurial activities.

LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY:

This review-based study may provide valuable insights to policymakers to help them understand the significant challenges Dalit women entrepreneurs face in India and take the necessary corrective measures. Despite this, the study also has two major limitations. Firstly, the study is confined to Dalit women entrepreneurs only. Thus, the findings may not apply to non-Dalit women entrepreneurs. Secondly, the study is completely based on secondary sources, i.e. published research work, and the findings are only based upon the comprehensive analysis and review of the reviewed articles. Moreover, the Dalit women community in itself vastly diverges. Thus, the findings may not be generalised for all the sub-sections.

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CONCLUSION:

Due to restricted freedom, societal norms, patriarchy and economic dependence, women in India still face lots of obstacles. Upliftment of the status of women is needed for the hour. This review study sheds light on various challenges faced by Dalit women entrepreneurs in India. Studies related to different states like Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and others have been reviewed. The findings of the reviewed articles have highlighted various factors that not only hinder the entrepreneurial growth of Dalit women but also affect the nation's overall economic growth. Caste-based discrimination, gender inequality, lack of support from family, societal norms, lack of knowledge, etc., have been identified as major challenges. Along with that, various other factors like limited funds, lack of business opportunities, lack of managerial skills, poor knowledge about government incentives and schemes, and inadequate infrastructure have been highlighted as key factors restricting the growth of Dalit women entrepreneurship in India. Therefore, more efforts are needed from families, society and policymakers of the nation to reduce gender and caste-based discrimination to boost the entrepreneurial development of Dalit women in India.

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Received on 27.09.2024 Revised on 30.10.2024

Accepted on 29.11.2024 Published on 11.12.2024

Available online on December 31, 2024

International Journal of Technology. 2024; 14(2):95-104.

DOI: 10.52711/2231-3915.2024.00014

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