Gendered Dimensions of Proprietary Establishments in India’s Unorganised Manufacturing Sector: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Female-owned establishments constitute a significant share of India’s Unorganised Manufacturing Sector (UMS) and play a vital role in generating employment opportunities for women. This paper investigates whether female proprietors face structural disadvantages compared to their male counterparts across different types of establishments. The analysis focuses on key indicators such as the educational and professional qualifications of owners, the operational location of enterprises, contracting practices, and access to formal financial systems—factors that influence the ability of establishments to manage production and marketing effectively. Additionally, the study examines the concentration of activities at the enterprise level to highlight sectoral differences between female- and male-owned units. Using unit-level data from the NSSO’s Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) for 2022–23, the paper identifies that female-owned units are in a more disadvantageous position than their male counterpart, if the UMS as a whole is considered. However, for the comparatively resource-based segments of the UMS, known as Hired Workers Establishments (HWEs), the female-owned establishments are not much behind and are sometimes in a more advantageous position than their male counterparts. Generally, female-owned establishments show higher concentration in fewer activities than male-owned units, yet in urban areas, the HWEs run by either male or female are focused on wearing apparel, food products, and fabricated metals, indicating women compete effectively with their male counterparts and thereby reap the benefits from business opportunities in urban locations.