Shoes and Accessories - May 2016

Decades back, women would operate businesses as a way of supplementing income. Then the ventures that women undertook were not entrepreneurial in nature due to society and domestic responsibilities. Women became more involved in business only when the idea of women in business became palatable to the general public.

It is said that Dutch women who had inherited money and lands were possibly the first business owners. One of the most successful women from this time was Margaret Hardenbrook Philipse, who was a merchant, a ship owner, and was involved in trading.

In the 1900s, due to the rise of feminism, female entrepreneurs began to be a widely accepted term. This was much later quickened by the availability of computers and the increasing popularity of the internet.

At home, entrepreneurship among women is comparatively a new trend, but today we have great women leading global as well as domestic corporations. Their success stories have placed the ladder for many.

On the policy front, allocation of Rs 200-crore budget by the Modi government towards the empowerment of women is welcome news.

Underscoring this rising trend and with the hope that more women will join the workforce in the coming years, we have dedicated a large section of this issue to successful women entrepreneurs in India.