The workshop on "Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship" was recently held at the Frank and Debbie Islam Entrepreneurship Incubation Centre (FDIEIC), Department of Business Administration, Aligarh Muslim University. Female students, stay-at-home mothers, social media influencers, and artisans participated in extensive discussions and critique sessions to understand the role women can play as business owners (AMU).
The presentation was organised by FDIEIC and CMS VATAVARAN, a forum that screens movies to make an impression and alter perspectives. In conjunction with the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship in New Delhi and GIZ, Germany, the workshop was held as part of Project Her & Now.
“Even as the convergence between male and female business owners in the developed countries is becoming more and more balanced, the inequality gap is still significant and the progress is slow. Women form an important segment of the economy and their role cannot be isolated from the development frame work”, said Prof Salma Ahmed (Dean, Faculty of Management Studies and Research) while encouraging women to become entrepreneurs.
We need to consider why it seems difficult for women to start their own businesses, as Prof. Jamal A. Farooquie (Chairman, Department of Business Administration) noted: “Despite entrepreneurial spark, many young women fail to start their own business and we need to ponder on why it seems harder for women? One of the reasons for this problem is that the male-dominant environment does not always encourage a woman-in-business role—and earning respect and finding capital can become a struggle for women, but it shouldn’t have to be this way”.
“The main reason for a smaller number of women entrepreneurships remains the lack of family support and the socio-economic system we have created. But there is no doubt that awareness can help us to do away with this issue and more and more of these workshops will surely encourage women to start successful business”, he said.
The CMS VATAVARAN presenters talked about how to get rid of patriarchy, gender mainstreaming, social stigma, and other barriers to encourage women to start their own businesses. They also held group talks and viewed short videos about women entrepreneurs.
FDIEIC, along with its faculty and student members, is promoting entrepreneurial activity, according to Prof. Ayesha Farooq (Coordinator, Entrepreneurship Committee). The vote of thanks was given by Mohammad Maaz Husain, the FDIEIC's incubator manager.
