Empowering tribal women through entrepreneurship and digital access

Introduction: The proposed research seeks to explore the factors that can facilitate the empowerment of tribal women through successful entrepreneurial endeavours in Odisha and Jharkhand. It emphasises the preservation and utilisation of indigenous resources, knowledge, and skills to mainstream tribal women into the development process. A particular focus is placed on understanding the role of digital technology in enhancing entrepreneurial opportunities, as well as the constraints and facilitators, such as access to resources, banking, infrastructure, and marketing, that shape tribal women’s entrepreneurial journeys. The study also examines the gender dynamics within households and tribal communities, identifying both barriers and enablers to women’s empowerment.

Aims and objectives:

• To identify factors that facilitate the empowerment of tribal women through entrepreneurship.
• To explore how indigenous knowledge and skills can be preserved and utilised for women’s economic advancement.
• To examine the extent of access to and use of digital technologies by tribal communities in promoting and expanding entrepreneurial ventures.
• To understand the constraints and opportunities in areas such as finance, infrastructure, and markets that impact tribal women’s entrepreneurship.
• To analyse the role of gender dynamics within households and communities in enabling or empowerment. obstructing women’s
• To document best practices and success stories of tribal women entrepreneurs as motivational case studies.
• To provide policy recommendations for integrating digital knowledge and innovation with entrepreneurship promotion among tribal women.

Methodology: This study focuses on the tribal regions of two cities in Odisha and Jharkhand. It will follow a mixed-method approach. The study adopts a mixed methods approach, combining secondary data analysis with extensive primary field research. A comprehensive desk review of research papers, policy documents, case studies, and industry reports will be undertaken, along with quantitative analysis of unit-level data from NSSO, NFHS, and the Annual Survey of Industries. Fieldwork will focus on tribal regions of Odisha and Jharkhand, where a quantitative survey will cover 960 women and men along with 24 village-level schedules. Complementing this, the qualitative component will include 58 in-depth interviews, 20 Focus Group Discussions (FGDs), and 20 case studies to capture lived experiences and community perspectives. To validate and enrich the findings, a multi-stakeholder dissemination workshop will also be organised, ensuring that insights feed into actionable recommendations for policy and practice.

Updates: Preparatory work is underway, including secondary data analysis and a desk review of literature. Primary survey tools have been designed, and field investigators are being trained. Next steps include conducting the field survey, analysing the data, documenting success stories, and preparing the final report.