In this episode, we explore women and entrepreneurship in India. Entrepreneurship offers women the opportunity to participate in the economy, which is essential in a country where women are dropping out of the workforce, and struggling to find suitable jobs. The share of enterprises owned by women is just over 20 percent. These businesses are mostly micro or small enterprises, concentrated in the informal sector and generate low revenues. The potential for women’s entrepreneurship is huge, but women entrepreneurs need support and policy interventions.

Our two guests, Neharika Vohra, vice-chancellor at the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University and Deepthi Ravula, CEO of WeHub, a platform for women entrepreneurs by the government of Telangana, along with host Sunaina Kumar discuss the social, structural and economic barriers that women face and look for solutions to support women’s entrepreneurship.

The episode includes stories from different parts of the country of women who run micro and small enterprises.


 Ila Shah is a pharmacist and manager of Lok Swasthya Health Cooperative in Ahmedabad. The cooperative is supported by the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).


Bablu Bhowmik is self-employed, she runs a home business of fish farming in Jolaibari, Tripura. Her work is supported by Sesta Development Services.


Chandrakali Markam is head of a poultry farming cooperative in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh. The cooperative is supported by Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN).

You can follow Deepthi on social media:
Twitter: ( https://twitter.com/deepthiis )
Linkedin: ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthir/ )
Instagram: ( https://www.instagram.com/deepthiis/ )

You can follow Niharika on social media:
Twitter: ( https://twitter.com/neharik413 )
Facebook: ( https://www.facebook.com/neharika.vohra )
LinkedIn: ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/neharika-vohra-b185537/ )

You can follow our host Sunaina Kumar on her social media:
Twitter: ( https://twitter.com/sunaina_kumar )
Linkedin: ( https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunaina-kumar )
Facebook: ( https://www.facebook.com/sunaina.kumar.37 )

You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the https://ivmpodcasts.com, the IVM Podcasts app on Android: https://ivm.today/android or iOS: https://ivm.today/ios, or any other podcast app.

In this episode, we explore women and entrepreneurship in India. Entrepreneurship offers women the opportunity to participate in the economy, which is essential in a country where women are dropping out of the workforce, and struggling to find suitable jobs. The share of enterprises owned by women is just over 20 percent. These businesses are mostly micro or small enterprises, concentrated in the informal sector and generate low revenues. The potential for women’s entrepreneurship is huge, but women entrepreneurs need support and policy interventions.Our two guests, Neharika Vohra, vice-chancellor at the Delhi Skill and Entrepreneurship University and Deepthi Ravula, CEO of WeHub, a platform for women entrepreneurs by the government of Telangana, along with host Sunaina Kumar discuss the social, structural and economic barriers that women face and look for solutions to support women’s entrepreneurship.The episode includes stories from different parts of the country of women who run micro and small enterprises.<ol><li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted"> Ila Shah is a pharmacist and manager of Lok Swasthya Health Cooperative in Ahmedabad. The cooperative is supported by the Self Employed Women’s Association (SEWA).</li><li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">Bablu Bhowmik is self-employed, she runs a home business of fish farming in Jolaibari, Tripura. Her work is supported by Sesta Development Services.</li><li data-list-indent="1" data-list-type="bulleted">Chandrakali Markam is head of a poultry farming cooperative in Dindori, Madhya Pradesh. The cooperative is supported by Professional Assistance for Development Action (PRADAN).</li></ol>You can follow Deepthi on social media: Twitter: ( <a href="https://twitter.com/deepthiis" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/deepthiis</a> ) Linkedin: ( <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthir/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/deepthir/</a> ) Instagram: ( <a href="https://www.instagram.com/deepthiis/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.instagram.com/deepthiis/</a> )You can follow Niharika on social media: Twitter: ( <a href="https://twitter.com/neharik413" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/neharik413</a> ) Facebook: (&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/neharika.vohra" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/neharika.vohra</a> ) LinkedIn: ( <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/neharika-vohra-b185537/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/neharika-vohra-b185537/</a> )You can follow our host Sunaina Kumar on her social media: Twitter: ( <a href="https://twitter.com/sunaina_kumar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/sunaina_kumar</a> ) Linkedin: ( <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunaina-kumar" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.linkedin.com/in/sunaina-kumar</a> ) Facebook: (&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sunaina.kumar.37" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.facebook.com/sunaina.kumar.37</a> )You can listen to this show and other awesome shows on the <a href="https://ivmpodcasts.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://ivmpodcasts.com</a>, the IVM Podcasts app on Android: <a href="https://ivm.today/android" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://ivm.today/android</a> or iOS: <a href="https://ivm.today/ios" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://ivm.today/ios</a>, or any other podcast app.

Without women, India cannot progress. Indian women have been asserting their presence in different ways. The increasing number of women voters is beginning to affect election outcomes, and yet the representation of female elected officials is disappointingly low. The rate of female literacy has gone up across the country, and yet the participation of women in the labour force has been steadily declining. Women in India spend almost 20% of their time on unpaid and care work, while men, on average, spend only 2.5% of their time on these activities.

This is just a handful of the many questions and situations that we are tackling as we look at how we can move forward.

Mind The Gender Gap is a monthly podcast that focuses on data and evidence to explore essential questions about women and work in India. It is a collaboration between IndiaSpend, the country’s first and only public interest data journalism initiative and IWWAGE, a research initiative of LEAD at Krea University.  

Hosted by Sunaina Kumar, a journalist and researcher, Mind The Gender Gap brings together a diverse group of experts from across sectors who are involved in framing policies that enable and empower women’s participation in the economy.

Without women, India cannot progress. Indian women have been asserting their presence in different ways. The increasing number of women voters is beginning to affect election outcomes, and yet the representation of female elected officials is disappointingly low. The rate of female literacy has gone up across the country, and yet the participation of women in the labour force has been steadily declining. Women in India spend almost 20% of their time on unpaid and care work, while men, on average, spend only 2.5% of their time on these activities.This is just a handful of the many questions and situations that we are tackling as we look at how we can move forward.Mind The Gender Gap is a monthly podcast that focuses on data and evidence to explore essential questions about women and work in India. It is a collaboration between IndiaSpend, the country’s first and only public interest data journalism initiative and IWWAGE, a research initiative of LEAD at Krea University. Hosted by Sunaina Kumar, a journalist and researcher, Mind The Gender Gap brings together a diverse group of experts from across sectors who are involved in framing policies that enable and empower women’s participation in the economy.

Mind The Gender Gap is a monthly podcast that focuses on data and evidence to explore essential questions about women and work in India. It is a collaboration between IndiaSpend,

Mind The Gender Gap

Host Sunaina Kumar discusses the social, structural and economic barriers that women face and looks for solutions to support women’s entrepreneurship.

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