There is always something to celebrate here at NIRA. This month’s celebrations are not specific to us at NIRA but to women entrepreneurs all over the country. The excellent folks at ZSIEmpoWer had selected us for their Fourth Edition accelerator program empoWer 2019, which is India’s 1st tech accelerator for women entrepreneurs. We take a lot of pride in saying that our Co-founder Nupur Gupta emerged as the first runner up of the program. However, this moment of accomplishment also brings to mind the issue of gender disparity that is often overlooked in the industry.

Equality and representation of women in the corporate world are values that NIRA imbues. While women entrepreneurship has seen a rise in various industries, there’s still a long way to go before it is on par with that of men. A study conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation known as  “Highlights of the Sixth Economic Consensus” in 2014 found that women entrepreneurs account for only 13.76 percent in India. Undoubtedly, there have been a lot more women who have started their own business since 2014, our co-founder Nupur being a prime example. 

Irrespective of gender, the prospect of starting a business in India is not an easy one. However, additional barriers exist for women when compared to of men. There are various contributing factors to this. According to Mastercard Index of Women Entrepreneurs (MIWE) 2018, women business owners in India struggle with conditions that are less favorable, including cultural biases, and limited access to business resources such as finances, capital, training, and development. India ranks 52nd out of the 57 surveyed countries. This shows the huge gender gap that exists in Indian society. Women are less inclined to engage in business due to fewer opportunities. In “The Global Gender Gap Report 2018” given by the World Economic Forum, India ranks 142nd out of 149 countries based on the indicator group “economic participation and opportunity”. This comes as no surprise as the gender bias in India is still strikingly apparent; one need not look at survey data to acknowledge this. The stereotype of women being incompetent when it comes to business still exists. Even as entrepreneurs, women who are co-founders are perceived to play a lesser role than their male counterparts, often seen as mere helpers rather than as heads of an organization.

Stereotyping and lack of representation are not the only issues that women face in the corporate world. Safety at work and in public spaces is another concern that women have to deal with. At NIRA, we are constantly looking to defy the assumptions that society has created and our various accomplishments along with our inclusive work culture are a testament to that. Programs like ZSIEmpoWer are certainly on the right path in tackling the issues highlighted and we are proud to have been a part of it, much less receiving the 1st Runner up the award. At the risk of seeming prudish, we once again congratulate ourselves as well as all womenfolk who are breaking the stereotypes and forging their own paths.