Handlooms Micro-enterprises for Empowerment of Women in Meghalaya

Abstract

Women entrepreneurship is gaining importance all over the world for addressing the development issues of women.Women-owned micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are contributing significantly towards the economic development of the nation through employment and income generation, poverty eradication and by bringing entrepreneurial diversity in the economic activities.Meghalaya handloom industry offers an appropriate setting to analyse the significance of the rural women-owned microenterprises towards local economic development.Women weavers though largely dominated the handloom sector, with changing market structure and competition; they face most of the difficulties when confronted with the task of finding inspirations for making varieties of textiles.From the survey it becomes apparent that there is dire need for design intervention to enhance the economic viability of existing woven products.The present article traces the issue of women weavers and offers suggestions to overcome them for the wellbeing of women weavers and to analyses the factors that affect tribal women to own a handloom micro-enterprisein Meghalaya.