Market Access, Institutional Support and Women’s Entrepreneurial Empowerment: Pilot Evidence from Sustainable Micro-Enterprises in Semi-Urban India

Women entrepreneurs are an increasingly important but still constrained part of India’s informal economy, and the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat places their participation at the centre of inclusive, self-reliant growth. Our study examines how women running handmade, food and eco-friendly enterprises in the semi-urban belt of Lucknow, specifically Chinhat and Bakshi Ka Talab, contribute to household livelihood, and what stands in the way of their growth. Drawing on a primary pilot survey of 55 women entrepreneurs, we combine descriptive analysis with chi-square tests, one-way ANOVA, correlation, an independent-samples t-test and a logistic regression model of financial independence. Our results show that the great majority of these women report higher family income (84 per cent) and feel financially independent (78 per cent), yet the empowerment they experience is uneven. Decision-making power rises sharply with education, and perceived support, from family, government and self-help groups, is the single factor that significantly predicts financial independence. Other intuitive relationships, including the link between type of work and difficulty selling, did not reach significance, and we report these honestly. We argue that market access and institutional support, rather than the women’s own effort or experience, are the binding constraints, and we discuss targeted interventions accordingly.