Role of Women Entrepreneurs in Handicraft Small Enterprises and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Bangladesh

Journal of Sociology

Abstract

Women’s empowerment is a key factor in achieving sustainable economic and social development. As a result, promoting entrepreneurship and self-employment through innovation and multidimensional training in our country is necessary. This study aimed to determine the factors that motivate women to become entrepreneurs, the types of institutional barriers that hinder women’s entrepreneurship in the handicrafts business and to identify how women’s entrepreneurship supports achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study was conducted in Delduar Upazila under the Tangail District of Bangladesh. The participants of the study were women entrepreneurs who are directly involved with handicraft small enterprises business. For the study, the total sample size was 105. Quantitative data was gathered with the help of an interview based on a structured questionnaire. Moreover, for qualitative data, case studies, FDG and KII were conducted based on a checklist of key questions. It has been found that the main causes of becoming an entrepreneur are social status, the economic situation of the family, the opinion of the husband, own wishes etc. The study has identified some major challenges that women entrepreneurs face such as fewer opportunities for training for women entrepreneurs, the high interest rate for receiving new loans from banks and NGOs, poverty, local people’s attitudes towards female participation in business, fewer marketing opportunities, lack of knowledge to get finance, lack of credit, lower social status, religious superstitions, etc. So, the government needs to take a more comprehensive policy decision to promote women entrepreneurs by providing better credit facilities, ensuring marketing opportunities, and good working conditions. Additionally, financial institutions should provide more loans with easy terms and conditions for female entrepreneurs to run smaller enterprises.

Key words: Women Entrepreneurs; Employment; Small and Medium Business Ownership, Self Employment.