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Catastrophic decline in women ownership of firms in India: 2014-2022

Author

Listed:
  • Rozi Kumari

    (Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University)

  • Rupayan Pal

    (Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research)

Abstract

Level playing field for women to participate in decision making and leadership positions is key to progress of a nation. Analysing widely used nationally representative datasets from the World Bank Enterprise Survey (WBES), we document that women ownership and participation in top management of registered private firms in India has drastically decreased, from low to a very meagre level, during the period from 2014 to 2022, despite sustained GDP growth and launch of several government programs to promote entrepreneurship. The pattern of decline is consistent across sectors (manufacturing and services) and size-groups (small, medium, and large) of firms, barring some variations. This is true regardless of the measure of women ownership considered and is not due to entry and exit of firms.

Suggested Citation

  • Rozi Kumari & Rupayan Pal, 2024. "Catastrophic decline in women ownership of firms in India: 2014-2022," Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai Working Papers 2024-008, Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research, Mumbai, India.
    • Handle: RePEc:ind:igiwpp:2024-008
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    File URL: http://www.igidr.ac.in/pdf/publication/WP-2024-008.pdf
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Firm ownership; Women; Private registered firms; Decision rights; Leadership; Entrepreneur;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O10 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - General
    • G32 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Financing Policy; Financial Risk and Risk Management; Capital and Ownership Structure; Value of Firms; Goodwill
    • J54 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Labor-Management Relations, Trade Unions, and Collective Bargaining - - - Producer Cooperatives; Labor Managed Firms
    • L26 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Entrepreneurship
    • B54 - Schools of Economic Thought and Methodology - - Current Heterodox Approaches - - - Feminist Economics

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