ANVESAK ISSN : 0378 – 4568 UGC Care Group 1 Journal Vol. 51, No.2(II) July – December 2021 40 PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN ENTREPRENEURIAL TRAITS AND CULTURE – AN EXPLORATIVE STUDY KADAMBARI.K, Research Scholar, Department of Commerce, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for women Coimbatore, Kadu.dharmesh@gmail.com DR. V. VIMALA, Assistant Professor, Department of Commerce, Avinashilingam Institute for Home Science and Higher Education for women Coimbatore, vvimachary@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Women empowerment is achieved through self-efficacy. Today more and more women come forward to start their own ventures. This study focuses on perceptions of women entrepreneurial traits and culture. Different personality and socio-cultural variables are identified and tried to find their relationship with the women entrepreneurship. It reveals that there is relationship between education qualification and perception towards entrepreneurship as a career option and there is no relationship between family occupation and perception towards entrepreneurship as a career choice. They also face challenges while managing their enterprise. From this study it was found that Inadequate fund is the main problem faced by them Key words: women entrepreneurial traits and culture, women entrepreneurship, personality factors, socio – cultural factors, challenges to women entrepreneurship 1.1 INTRODUCTION: The fostering of entrepreneurship is critical to a country's economic success. Entrepreneurs are viewed as critical to a country's socioeconomic success. Entrepreneurs are people who begins, organizes, and administers a firm. They enjoy the benefits of the country's untapped resources. Women now have access to the entrepreneurial sphere. Women entrepreneurship is not a new concept. But now more and more women come forward to start their own ventures individually or collectively. Both Central Government and State Government introduced various schemes for motivating women entrepreneurs. Because it is an important tool for eliminating the poverty. They spent most of their earnings for the welfare of the family. Women entrepreneurs may be defined as a woman or a group of women who initiate, organise, and run a business organisation. The Government of India has defined a women entrepreneurship as “ an enterprise owned and controlled by a woman having a minimum financial interest of 51% of the capital and giving at least 51% of the employment generated in the enterprise to women.”(NAIR, 2019) The Kerala Government defined “women industrial units as units owned/organised by women and engaged in small scale and cottage industries with not less than 80% of the total workers as women.” In India there are some women start- ups. As per the NSS 73rd Round of NSSO there are a total of estimated 1,23,90,523 Women owned proprietary MSMEs in the country. (Ministry of MSMEs, Governemnt of India, 2021). The Indian government has launched a number of programmes to help women entrepreneurs. Through trade-related training, information, and counselling extension efforts connected to trade, products, and services, the schemes aim to empower women economically.