The hurdles in the
path of women entrepreneurs in the name of religious fanatics, social
prototypes, and issues of sexual harassment that we all like to believe do not
exist
Women are being welcomed
into business ownership nowadays, it is true.
However, we are still trapped in what we may call a male chauvinistic
world, with the opportunities that are being forwarded to women still being
very few. The emergence of women in business
is a good sign, as this provides more opportunities to women for professional
growth as compared to other corporate jobs.
Moreover, it provides women with the ease of being able to work online,
or from their homes, making it a lot easier for them to thrive in a morally
backward society as professionals. Being
called “Agents of Change” does seem flattering enough, but still not enough
opportunities are provided for simplifying this change process. Women as entrepreneurs still have to face a
wide number of obstacles in their way. These include religious reasons (however
lame), social prototypes (good women don’t work), sexual harassment (yes, we
all pretend that it doesn’t exist, don’t we?) and the issue of pardah
(businesswomen=bad women, and bad women do not observe pardah, right?).
Many families, especially in
our subcontinent, consider it a personal insult if a female member of the
family has an earning hand. Other
reasons like lack of security for women further strengthen this barricade. The point that is often ignored is that Islam
gives a woman the right to earn money.
It gives her the right to start her own business if she wants. It gives her the right to keep all her
earnings to herself and use them as she may.
It orders the husband not to impose unreasonable restrictions on his wife
when it comes to her right to earn money.
However, the basics have somehow been distorted and women are stopped
from entrepreneurship on the basis of religion as well. The religious leaders (and facebook jihadis)
of today probably do not like to consider the Quran or Hadith while passing
judgment on other women.
Women are seldom considered
a part of the financial framework that supports a home. Therefore, women are often lacking in funds
when it comes to starting or running their own businesses. Even though they are given the right to
inheritance, most women do not inherit much from their families. Lack of capital and financial restraints are
one big reason why we do not have enough women entrepreneurs. It is also considered that respectable women
only rely on their male family members in a relationship of lifelong servitude
caused mainly by financial dependence.
This is what is considered a set rule for women. A woman who works, especially a woman who
works on her own, is not considered worthy of respect. The biggest argument families further when it
comes to women working is how respectable women do not work. Women are considered unprofessional and
untrustworthy by male peers. Even if she
is more qualified and experienced then her male counterparts, she will be
considered second to them. Most often,
the income women receive for their labor is almost half of what men receive for
the same amount of work.
At some stage, every woman
entrepreneur has to deal with men. When
she deals with men, even though only in a professional capacity, she encounters
non-serious and unprofessional attitudes 9 times out of 10. A large number of men will flirt with their
female colleagues, clients, or peers during strictly business talks and
dealings. What should be considered a
serious case of non-professionalism and workplace harassment is instead
considered a social norm. In Pakistan alone, the number of cases of sexual
harassment against women at the workplace is surprisingly high. No woman wants to work in an environment
where she is constantly in want of respect and security. Laws have recently been formulated or rather
reformulated regarding sexual harassment of women at work, but there is still a
lot of effort to be done to actually bring them into action. Women entrepreneurs face the same risk for
sexual harassment as women with jobs do.
Highly skilled and educated
women are undermined due to the gender bias prevalent in our societies. A business loses the effect it has on first
sight once it is realized that the owner is a woman. People prefer not to deal with women when it
comes to business, and enterprises run by women are treated the same way. As housekeeping is considered the first and
foremost responsibility of a woman, it becomes difficult for women to juggle
both spheres at the same time. Many
families do not permit household help for women, making it literally impossible
for the woman to be able to establish or run a business.
The fact that women are not
taken seriously in any field at all, hits us harder when it comes to female
entrepreneurship. Women are not only not
taken seriously in business, they are ridiculed. This ridicule, unfortunately, comes from
family, friends and peers alike. It is also a concept that women who are
entrepreneurs are ultra-mod, immoral women with no regard for religion or
tradition. It is pointless to discuss
this as it has integrated really well into our minds already. Therefore, women who wear the hijab, the
veil, or full pardah, are skeptical regarding business. It can be difficult for
a woman to pull off a veil when she is dealing business.
Any dealing with a
government institution mostly means standing for hours in long queues and being
pushed around for the whole day. Women
find it difficult, as most such places do not hold segregated booths/offices or
waiting rooms for men and women. Shoving
and pushing, along with the disrespectful behavior of staff at tax etc.
offices, makes women look around for help.
Even though she is educated today, woman is still denied the power that
men have. A woman needs way more
strength than a man does in speaking out for something she believes in. Women also have difficulty in making
themselves heard and obeyed because of the non-serious attitudes of the men
around them.
Girls, even as children, are
not much trained when it comes to self-confidence. A woman is someone who grew up hearing about
everything she should not and cannot do.
This makes it difficult for women to muster up the confidence required
to become successful entrepreneurs.
There is no such thing as self defense training for women either. This further aggravates their insecurity. Moreover, like all businesspersons and
entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs are also subject to red tape. However, it is more difficult for women to
keep returning to some specific office to get something done or keep visiting
different places all over the city.
Women may also lack necessary contacts to get something done.
There is no doubt that women
face a lot of obstacles in their path when it comes to entrepreneurship. There are many different remedies for these
problems too, however. Women can easily
dapple with fields like handiwork, food based businesses, boutiques and other
professional service businesses like beauty clinics, doctors, boutiques
etc. It is recommended for women to try
and play up their strengths. Start and
run a business in a field you are sure you can make a mark in. Women make really successful entrepreneurs
when it comes to creative and innovative businesses including art and crafts,
dress designing, advertising and marketing businesses.
However difficult it may
seem, the key to becoming a good businessperson is confidence. Women should make themselves more
confident. Approach all problems to your
business with a confident air, and even if the decisions are wrong initially,
you will get the hang of it with time.
Women need to be made more confident and this can be done by their
families and also the society in general.
Most women think of family and business as two totally different spheres
that cannot touch. They mostly do not
comprehend the possibility of being able to run both a business and their
household together. This mindset should
be changed. There are many women who
easily balance their careers and family responsibilities.
Women who have help with
their household chores find it easier to give time to their businesses. The trend for household should be encouraged
at all levels. Technology has already
made life way faster and easier for us.
Additional help in the form of cooks, drivers, or maids can make it even
less hectic and can help a woman focus her responsibilities on both her family
and career.
Women today are more aware
than they were some time ago. Still,
there are a lot of things that need women to give thought to. Our government has very recently formulated
laws against workplace harassment and for provision of safety to women. Women should be aware of these laws and
policies to enable themselves to stand up and speak out where needed. Women entrepreneurs also enjoy several
additional rights, only if they are careful enough to make use of them. Different schemes are introduced every now
and then for working women. Moreover,
women should also be aware of their rights in their homes, which also include
the right to job and their own business.
Be informed and make sure you know everything happening around you. Even a work at home entrepreneur woman should
know everything about her business, the marketing approaches she is going to
adopt, the competition she has, and how she is going to further expand and
grow.
Women need to be more
confident when it comes to personal decisions like pardah. Pardah does not hinder the running of any
kind of business in any way. There are
many women who stick to their own terms and run their own businesses while
observing hijab, naqab or burka. Your
own religious values are as important as the image you have. Online businesses are a new and advanced
option for women entrepreneurs. Women
can stay at home and establish and run a business only with the help of
internet. A good website and creativity
can help as the main building blocks for a successful business. Women who are worried about their household
responsibilities, and who cannot leave the security of their homes, can easily
start online businesses.
Our beloved Pakistan has 51%
of its population without its basic human rights (which include food, medical
facilities, and security). Even though
we have a large number of women graduating and getting professional degrees,
there are not enough female engineers, doctors, and entrepreneurs. Most of our problems are in our own
hands. The woman of today needs to stand
up in the face of the hurdles in her way, and make sure that this time, she is
heard.
