Year: 2025
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: This research study compares and contrasts the socio-cultural, economic, and institutional variables that contribute to gender inequalities in youth entrepreneurship in the Indian states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Based on their resource availability, goals, and gendered responsibilities to meet societal standards, this study aims to comprehend the various experiences of young men, women, and gender-diverse individuals. The research was conducted using primary data collected from 30 young entrepreneurs and statistical tools such as SPSS and Excel. In terms of mentorship, funding, performance, and the longevity of their businesses, the results reveal that young men enjoy sex-based advantages over young women. Entrepreneurship and small-scale business development are driven by necessity for young women, particularly those from rural backgrounds, who face financial precarity, restricted mobility, and gender norms and expectations. While government programs like Kudumbashree in Kerala and Startup missions in Tamil Nadu do offer support, they do not eliminate socio-cultural disadvantages simply because someone has access to them—respondents who identified as transgender experienced systemic exclusion. Despite the lack of statistically significant variations in perceived company performance based on gender in the quantitative data analysis, the qualitative data nonetheless demonstrated the persistence of gender bias in the region. The report acknowledges the need for programs to address gender inequalities in entrepreneurship to develop more comprehensive systems of support, including financial and mentorship assistance. It also calls for research into policies that have an impact on and are dependent upon businesses to narrow the gender gap.
DOI: 10.14419/z3gwzb48
Institutions: Bharathidasan University, University of Calicut
Language: English
Subfield: Management of Technology and Innovation
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4415864771
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