Women's Entrepreneurial Abilities: A Study in the Indian Informal Service Sector

Several studies on gender performance reveal that enterprises run by males generally outperform those run by females. This article examines the performance differences between male and female entrepreneurs in the informal service sector in India, using the NSSO (National Sample Survey Organisation) data. It attempts to understand the nature of female entrepreneurial activity, their pattern, causes and comparability vis-a-vis male entrepreneurship. Performance of male and female entrepreneurs has been compared in terms of efficiency. In the traditional sector although female entrepreneurs are less efficient than their male counterparts, they emerge to be more efficient in the commercial enterprises. An analysis pertaining to the influence of various factors explaining such differences in performance has also been made.