Authors: Mrs. A. Asha, Dr. M. Akila
Abstract: Women entrepreneurs occupy a critical, yet structurally underserved, position within India's Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) landscape. Despite constituting nearly 20.37% of all MSME owners in India, women continue to grapple with a complex matrix of financial, social, educational, and institutional barriers that stifle their entrepreneurial potential. This study undertakes a focused empirical investigation into the problems confronted by women entrepreneurs operating in the MSME sector in Salem City, Tamil Nadu — a region that has emerged as a significant industrial hub in Southern India. Using a structured questionnaire administered to 120 women entrepreneurs across micro, small, and medium enterprise categories through purposive and convenience sampling, this research employs descriptive statistics, one-way ANOVA, and mean score analysis to systematically identify and rank the intensity of challenges faced. The findings reveal that limited access to institutional credit and deficit in technical skills represent the most critical constraints, followed by inadequate digital literacy, socio-cultural obligations, and restricted market linkages. Notably, while government schemes such as MUDRA Yojana and Stand-Up India exist, awareness-to-utilisation conversion remains alarmingly low. The study argues that bridging the entrepreneurial gender gap in Salem's MSME ecosystem demands targeted policy interventions, mentorship ecosystems, and a fundamental recalibration of institutional support delivery mechanisms. The paper contributes to the growing body of literature on gendered entrepreneurship in Tier-II Indian cities, offering actionable insights for policymakers, development practitioners, and MSME support agencies.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20178180
