Feminist Ideologies at Work: Culture, Collectivism, and Entrepreneurship among Disadvantaged Women in India

Bhatt, Punita; Garikipati, Supriya

Abstract

This study explores the role of feminist ideologies in enabling entrepreneurship among disadvantaged women in societies entrenched in structures of patriarchy. The study draws on evidence from Lijjat, a women’s cooperative in India. Through careful consideration of the context and relations in which marginalized women were able to initiate, develop, and successfully grow a business, results draw two key conclusions. First, pragmatist feminist ideologies are particularly supportive of women’s economic activities in a patriarchal context. Second, ideological influences on women’s entrepreneurship exist both at the individual level (motivation) and at the collective level (organizational practices). Studying the intersection of these tiers enables a better understanding of how women’s entrepreneurship at the grassroots level can be supported in male-dominated cultures.

Citation

Bhatt, P., & Garikipati, S. (2024). Feminist Ideologies at Work: Culture, Collectivism, and Entrepreneurship among Disadvantaged Women in India. Feminist Economics, 30(3), 185-216. https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2024.2383209

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 1, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 19, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024
• Deposit Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 22, 2025
• Journal: Feminist Economics
• Print ISSN: 1354-5701
• Electronic ISSN: 1466-4372
• Publisher: Routledge
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 30
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 185-216
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13545701.2024.2383209
• Keywords: Gender, entrepreneurship, organizational practices, feminist ideologies,pragmatism, cooperative
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/39159846
• Publisher URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13545701.2024.2383209