Volume 1 Issue IV Dec 2013 ISSN 2321 - 7065 INDIAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS: A JOURNEY IN CRACKING OF THE GLASS CEILING EFFECT Dr.Rachna Chaturvedi Assistant Professor, Dept of HSS Jaypee University of Engineering & Technology, A.B Road, Raghavgarh, Distt- Guna (M.P) ABSTRACT: It is rightly said, ‘To awaken people, it is the woman who must be awakened. Once she is on the move, the family moves, the village moves and the nation moves’. The purpose of the research is to understand the paradigm shifts of India’s gender composition and how Indian women are carving a niche in the entrepreneur world. From ancient times, women have held respectable position in the society, particularly in the Indian scenario. But unfortunately, their potential was underestimated since they were limited to domestic duties and were denied top positions in the business world but in the past few decades women have taken rapid strides in every field one could imagine. Women have held the highest offices in the country and have served it with dignity and success. They have persevered in the roughest and most demanding of professions and achieved results which have surprised the whole world. Moreover Indian women Entrepreneurs have also proved their mettle by rising to the top of their businesses. Women like Kiran Majumdar Shaw (CEO of Biocon, India), Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of Balaji Telefilms , Swati A. Piramal,Vice Chairperson of Piramal Life Sciences and others of their ilk rub shoulders with men in board rooms and are continuously proving that women are and can be as successful as men. KEY WORDS: Glass Ceiling, entrepreneurs, Globalisation, liberalization, INTRODUCTION As an Indian, one would not have missed out on these popular and known women entrepreneurs’ names at all and some of these names would be familiar internationally as well. Ekta Kapoor, Joint Managing Director and Creative Director of Balaji Telefilms , Swati A. Piramal,Vice Chairperson of Piramal Life Sciences Limited and Director of Piramal Healthcare Limited, Rajshree Pathy, Chairperson and Managing Director of the Rajshree Group of Companies and Founder of India Design Forum , Radhika Roy, Co Chairperson and Managing Director, NDTV,Vandana Luthra, founder and mentor of the VLCC, and many more – who have carved a niche for themselves, proving their mettle in various fields of business. Hence proving the words said by Margaret Thatcher (First Woman Prime Minister of UK) years ago that, ‘If you want something said, ask a man. If you want something done, ask a woman.’ WOMEN IN INDIAN SOCIETY: A JOURNEY FROM CUSTODIANS OF CONSERVATISM TO ENTREPRENEURS For decades, women have been playing multiple roles in their life. Be it a daughter, helping her mother in house-hold chores or a sister, taking a role of mentor to the younger siblings or a wife, supporting her husband and managing household budget. Traditionally, the girl child in the Indian family was never given equal importance to that of boy child and was considered to be an economic liability because of the dowry tradition .Moreover, there was abysmal scope for formal or higher education for women. Even if given the opportunity of higher studies, they were always denied the freedom of place to work and the kind of profession to pursue. 158 Volume 1 Issue IV Dec 2013 ISSN 2321 - 7065 With the process of globalization in 1990s, which focused on the development of Indian society, the status of women has undergone a remarkable shift. Issues related to women education, empowerment and employment received greater attention in the planning circle and aimed to eradicate discriminations. The family-owned businesses also started supporting their female members (wife, daughters and sisters) to participate in business operations. Having pursued higher/professional studies, the young women in their 20s are now managing senior positions. Some examples of women holding senior positions in family-owned businesses – Roshni Nadar, (27), daughter of HCL Technologies founder Shiv Nadar, who did her MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, was appointed as CEO of the group’s holding company. Likewise, Ashni Biyani, daughter of Kishor Biyani, chief of Future Group joined as a director at the age of 24. Even Lakshmi Venu (26) daughter of Venu Srinivasan, head of TVS Motors is holding a senior position in the company. Devita Saraf (28) joined their family-owned business, Zenith Computer headed by her father Raj Saraf. The role played by women in professional fields tend to be consistent with the roles they play at home – effective communication, prioritizing various activities, proper planning, and utilization of scarce resources and so on. Experts comment that businesswomen are more inclined to take measured or calculated risks and resolve issues in a novel way. Typically, women are better communicators and can easily build associations which helps in strengthening business relationships – a major component in marketing or HR function. They are natural networkers and apply creative solutions to business issues. Thus, women are no less than men and they are equally competent. Table-1:Indian Women as Entrepreneurs SNo. Name Company 1. Nidhi Saxena Karmic Lifesciences, A contract research organization in 2008 that specializes in Oncology Cardiovascular, Neurology and Diabetes. It provides clinical data management to Pharma companies and also conducts clinical trials 2. Uniza Tasneem Daria system A hospital management solution enterprise that is headquartered in Koramangala, Bangalore 3. Sneha Roy & Sananda Misra Toptomato.in It sells home products in a wide variety that is spilt into different heads for easy shopping. 4. Shubhra Chadda Chumbak Co-founder of, an online retail store which is focused on India themed souvenirs. In India, the portal retails out 130 partner stores and 70 in Japan. 5. Kanika Dewan Bramco, She is the one who designed floors of IGI's Terminal 3, Dewan's family-owned business, headquartered in Bahrain, carried out the floor work for the airport. 6. Vijaya Pastala, Under the Mango Tree Her enterprise has a Rs 60 lakh turnover from selling honey! 7. Mitali Kalra, Zao Foods To cater to this growing awareness of eating healthy is Mitali Kalra's year-old 159 Volume 1 Issue IV Dec 2013 ISSN 2321 - 7065 Mediterranean cafe, Crostini, tucked away in a corner of the HauzKhas Village in south Delhi. 8. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw Biocon She started Biocon in 1978 and spearheaded its evolution from an industrial enzymes manufacturing company to a fully integrated bio-pharmaceutical company. 9. Indu Jain Times Group Chairperson (former), A strong votary of women’s rights and women entrepreneurship, Indu contributed immensely to the growth of Times group. 10. Sulajja Firodia Motwani Kinetic Motors Joint Managing Director, Sulajja has single-handedly designed and developed marketing strategies to spearhead the Kinetic Motors company’s growth forward 12. Priya Paul Apeejay Park Hotels Chairperson, Her contribution to the hospitality industry has got recognition from the government of India which conferred on her Padma Sri award in 2012. 13. Ekta Kapoor Balaji Telefilms JMD & Creative Director, Ekta has created a niche for herself in TV serial and film production. She can easily be termed as the most successful female producer of entertainment world. 14. Ritu Kumar Fashion Designer Ritu Kumar is one of the big names in Indian fashion industry. Ritu has carved a niche for herself in designing a variety of wardrobes including swimwear, eveningwear, traditional Indian wear, casual wear and formal evening gowns. 15. Shahnaz Hussain Shahnaz Herbals Inc, CEO,Shahnaz Hussain is the biggest name in herbal cosmetics industry in India. She has introduced a number of trend setting herbal products.Currently, the Shahnaz Husain Group has over 400 franchise clinics across the world covering over 138 countries. LITREATURE REVIEW Over the past 25 years, the percentage of women participating in the work force has increased. However, this increase has been confined to entry level positions, while the middle and senior level management positions still reflect a shortfall of women. According to Jan Tucker, in the article “The GLASS CEILING- does it still exits”.The causes of the glass ceiling are varied. Some suggest that the glass ceiling is self imposed by some women. For example, women may choose to work fewer hours than men in order to spend more time with their families. Women also measure success in the workplace differently than men. Men tend to measure success by high salaries and important job titles whereas women place a higher value on their relationships with colleagues and social relations. Others suggest that ingrained stereotypes and socialization cause the glass ceiling. When deciding who to promote in these organizations, women are often not even considered. The Indian corporate has been largely male dominated, women have been able to make a mark, but not at the same speed as is seen in the rest of the world. In India, only about 25 percent of the business leadership comprises women. Whereas when compared to other countries, women comprise nearly 60 percent of the business leadership. Women get so accustomed to their existing 160 Volume 1 Issue IV Dec 2013 ISSN 2321 - 7065 job role, which prevents them from reaching the top level. Moreover the organization also has a feeling that it is not worth investing in because, they would get married, have a baby and quit. The challenges might continue to exist, but there is no doubt that a greater representation of women at the workplace is vital today. OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH During the past decade, the incidence of women starting businesses dramatically accelerated in the India. This analysis focuses on women business owners who accelerated their careers by starting their own businesses. So, the objectives in our research are:- 1.