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Evaluating Women Entrepreneurs In The Informal Sector: Some Evidence From India

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  • COLIN C WILLIAMS

    (University of Sheffield, South Yorkshire S10 2TN, United Kingdom)

  • ANJULA GURTOO

    (Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore 560 012, India)

Abstract

Studies on women entrepreneurs in the informal economy no longer view them merely as a residue from some pre-modern mode of production that is disappearing. Instead, they are either read through a structuralist lens as marginalized populations engaged in low quality work conducted under poor conditions for low pay out of necessity in the absence of alternative means of livelihood, or through a neo-liberal lens as engaged in relatively higher quality endeavours more as a rational choice. The aim of this paper is to evaluate critically these contrasting explanations. To do this, the results of face-to-face interviews with 323 women entrepreneurs operating in the Indian informal economy are analyzed. The finding is that although the structuralist representation is largely appropriate for women engaged in informal waged work, it is not as valid for women informal entrepreneurs working on a self-employed basis where incomes are higher, they receive more credit from informal institutions, union membership is higher, and such work is more likely to be a rational choice. The outcome is a call to recognize the diversity of women's experiences in the informal sector and that not all informal entrepreneurship by women in developing nations is a low-paid, necessity-oriented endeavour carried out as a last resort.

Suggested Citation

  • Colin C Williams & Anjula Gurtoo, 2011. "Evaluating Women Entrepreneurs In The Informal Sector: Some Evidence From India," Journal of Developmental Entrepreneurship (JDE), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 16(03), pages 351-369.
  • Handle: RePEc:wsi:jdexxx:v:16:y:2011:i:03:n:s1084946711001914
    DOI: 10.1142/S1084946711001914
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Packard, Truman G., 2007. "Do workers in Chile choose informal employment? A dynamic analysis of sector choice," Policy Research Working Paper Series 4232, The World Bank.
    2. Marilyn CARR & Martha CHEN, 2004. "Globalization, social exclusion and gender," International Labour Review, International Labour Organization, vol. 143(1-2), pages 129-160, March.
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    4. Carr, Marilyn. & Chen, Martha Alter., 2004. "Globalization, social exclusion and work : with special reference to informal employment and gender," ILO Working Papers 993698513402676, International Labour Organization.
    5. Colin C. Williams, 2006. "The Hidden Enterprise Culture," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 3948.
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    Cited by:

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    3. Hazarika, Bhabesh & Goswami, Kishor, 2014. "Rural Non-Farm Micro-Entrepreneurship or Not: Gender Issue in Decision Making," EconStor Conference Papers 125611, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics.
    4. Sukhjeet Kaur Matharu & Divya Juneja, 2023. "The Influence of Perceived Motivational Factors on Success of Women-Driven Ventures and Their Contribution in Economic Development," Vision, , vol. 27(5), pages 616-627, November.
    5. , Aisdl, 2017. "Problems and prospects of women entrepreneurship with special reference to MSMEs in the state of Gujarat," OSF Preprints u7jkb, Center for Open Science.
    6. Hyland,Marie Caitriona,Islam,Asif Mohammed, 2021. "Gendered Laws, Informal Origins, and Subsequent Performance," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9766, The World Bank.
    7. Obianuju E Okeke-Uzodike & Mogie Subban, 2019. "Cluster initiative management: A potential for African women entrepreneurs in the informal sector," Local Economy, London South Bank University, vol. 34(5), pages 421-438, August.
    8. Badger Newman, Arielle & Alvarez, Sharon, 2022. "Questioning boundedly rational frameworks in practice: The case of women entrepreneurs in Kumasi, Ghana," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 37(4).
    9. Ramani, Shyama V. & Thutupalli, Ajay & Medovarski, Tamas & Chattopadhyay, Sutapa & Ravichandran, Veena, 2013. "Women entrepreneurs in the informal economy: Is formalization the only solution for business sustainability?," MERIT Working Papers 2013-018, United Nations University - Maastricht Economic and Social Research Institute on Innovation and Technology (MERIT).

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