Socio-Economic Impact of Women Entrepreneurship in Sylhet City, Bangladesh

Abstract

This paper focuses on exploring the socio-economic impact of women entrepreneurship. Based on primary and secondary sources, it is found that nearly three quarters of the women entrepreneurs in Sylhet City are married and that they are mainly involved in tailoring and beauty parlor businesses. About half of the women entrepreneurs use their income for family purposes and most of them do not need permission of their husbands in using their income. Women entrepreneurship typically brings a positive change in attitude and behavior of family members and society towards them. Women’s involvement in economic activities is greatly needed, not only for their own development but also for the overall economic growth of the country. Though the Bangladeshi government has taken significant initiatives through different ministries to enhance women entrepreneurship, these initiatives are not always effective. This paper provides also some recommendations for policy makers to undertake suitable and effective policies towards women development.

Keywords: Bangladesh, women, entrepreneurship, development

JEL Classification: O15, O10