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Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM65647
Volume:
10 |
6 |
Jun 2026
Pages:
1-6
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
School of Informatics
AMS MBA COLLEGE
School of Informatics
AMS MBA COLLEGE
Women entrepreneurship has emerged as an important pathway for inclusive economic growth, poverty reduction, and social transformation in India. At the grassroots level, barefoot women entrepreneurs operate small-scale, informal, and home-based enterprises despite limited access to formal education, institutional support, finance, and technology. Despite these constraints, they contribute significantly to household income generation, local employment creation, and community development. This study examines how skill development functions as a key driver of entrepreneurial participation and sustainability among barefoot women entrepreneurs in India. The research is primarily based on secondary data collected from academic literature, government reports, policy documents, institutional publications, and official program reports published between 2019 and 2025. To supplement secondary evidence, exploratory survey responses from 49 participants were also reviewed. A descriptive and analytical research design was employed to examine women entrepreneurship trends, compare selected state-level initiatives, identify structural barriers, and assess the contribution of skill development programs. The findings indicate that skill development strengthens entrepreneurial confidence, employability, income generation capacity, digital participation, and market engagement. However, its effectiveness remains uneven due to socio-cultural constraints, unpaid care responsibilities, weak market linkages, and digital exclusion. The study argues that skill development is most effective when embedded within a broader entrepreneurial ecosystem comprising financial access, institutional support, digital inclusion, market linkages, and social support. The paper contributes to the literature by offering an ecosystem-oriented interpretation of grassroots women’s enterprise development in India.
KEYWORDS
Barefoot women entrepreneurs represent one of India’s most significant yet under-recognised drivers of inclusive development. Across rural and semi-urban India, women are building enterprises that strengthen household resilience, local employment generation, and community-level economic participation. This study demonstrates that skill development serves as a key driver of entrepreneurial participation, confidence, productivity, and sustainability. However, the analysis also shows that training alone is insufficient. The effectiveness of skill development depends upon broader ecosystem conditions including financial access, institutional support, digital inclusion, social support, and market linkages. For policy makers, the central implication is clear: strengthening women entrepreneurship requires moving beyond isolated training interventions toward integrated ecosystem-building strategies. Such an approach can substantially improve the long-term sustainability and developmental impact of grassroots women-led enterprises in India.
1. Sulochana, R., & Kumari, R. (2025). Skill development as a catalyst for women’s empowerment in India: A comprehensive analysis. International Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities, 6(5), 186–191. https://doi.org/10.47505/IJRSS.2025.5.19 2. Womens Entrepreneurship: A Systematic Literature Review (2020–2025) Ajjarapu Alimelu Annapurna. (2025). Women’s entrepreneurship: A systematic literature review (2020–2025). Technix International Journal for Engineering Research, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.56975/tijer.v12i8.159331 3. Empowering entrepreneurial success through the development of interpersonal skills and business plans in women entrepreneurs Reina Marín, Y., Sánchez Bardales, E., Carrasco Rituay, A. M., Cruz Caro, O., & Chávez Santos, R. (2024). Empowering entrepreneurial success through the development of interpersonal skills and business plans in women entrepreneurs. Journal of Women’s Entrepreneurship and Education, 3–4, 249–276. https://doi.org/10.28934/jwee24.34.pp249-276 4. The Role of Digital Literacy to Promote the Gender Equality Kaur, M., & Sharma, J. (2023). The role of digital literacy to promote the gender equality. Shodh Sari: An International Multidisciplinary Journal, 2(4), 315–327. https://doi.org/10.59231/SARI7642 5. National Skill Development Corporation National Skill Development Corporation. (n.d.). National Skill Development Corporation. https://nsdcindia.org 6. NITI Aayog NITI Aayog. (n.d.). NITI Aayog. https://www.niti.gov.in 7. Kudumbashree Mission Kudumbashree Mission. (n.d.). Kudumbashree Mission. https://www.kudumbashree.org 8. Mission Shakti Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha. (n.d.). Mission Shakti. https://missionshakti.odisha.gov.in 9. WE Hub WE Hub. (n.d.). WE Hub. https://wehub.telangana.gov.in
Publication Date
6/29/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
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The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
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