How Do Female Entrepreneurs Deal with Unsupportive Families?

The first thing that strikes you when you see a woman entrepreneur is the sheer number of challenges she faces. A woman entrepreneur has to deal with a lot of odds to see her business reach a certain level. This is primarily because she's a woman and no matter how much we deny it, there is a certain patriarchal mentality that we still live with. As more and more women take up Entrepreneurship as a profession, the need to support them becomes a necessity.?

As a female entrepreneur, you are bound to face obstacles in your journey. One of the most daunting can come from your own family. How can we expect our family to support us when they are themselves unwilling to take risks? Lack of family support for women entrepreneurs is one of the primary reasons for low female entrepreneurship in India. The fact that few women own a business is part of a larger phenomenon of women's low involvement in the business. This is also related to the fact that women's participation is low and women have less opportunity to become leaders, professionals and technical workers.

We operate in an industry that is dominated by men, the general social norm is that society expects women to do household chores. They are expected to do it and juggle their work at the same time. In fact, many Indian women take more responsibility at home, spending an average of five times more time on housework, other unpaid work than men.?Family support is seen as an important success factor for Indian female entrepreneurs, as it can be difficult to balance home and business. Most women entrepreneurs often said that their family was "modern" or "understood passion" and "I was lucky." This implies that such supportive families are not standard.

Most female entrepreneurs deal with a lot of opposition from external and internal factors. Although you shouldn't give up. You threaten the existing ideals laid for women by going against them and that's completely acceptable. As an entrepreneur, establishing your vision and?opinions in front of family and friends can be the best possible practice you need to adopt for the life ahead. Because in the future you will be vying for attention and eyeballs, the strength and confidence you have in your vision can be a powerful tool.?

Majority of family members aren't aware about the career paths beyond the traditional job posts. The first rule to keep in mind when dealing with them is to not argue. They will mention many reasons why you shouldn't be pursuing the entrepreneurial path while casually mentioning you being a woman as one of the reasons. Do not engage with such negativity. Do not argue with them. There is nothing you say or do that can help them overcome their patriarchal mindset. Let your work do the talking. You can try to explain your vision to them, there is nothing wrong with that but do not expect support in return.

Although seek out friends and family that do support your decision. This makes a huge difference and gives you the much needed boost. If you can show them your passion, dedication and willingness to work hard, they may come around in time. There are many women entrepreneurs in India who have achieved success in their field, but they have been able to do so only with great determination. Don't give up on your vision.?