Women in Micro-Entrepreneurship Feminisation of poverty is emerging as a typical trend in developing nations as an offshoot of globalisation and open market economy. Entrepreneurship of women and development of micro- enterprises can be viewed within this entitlement-capability framework, as an appropriate strategy for expanding entitlements and mitigating the feminisation of poverty. Sen, (1983: 754) and feminist economists like, Lucas and Agarwal (1999) have opined that the deficiency of traditional development economics was its failure Women Hawkers in New Economic Environment: A Case of Navi Mumbai Sumita Sarkar 1 Manjari Srivastava 2 Abstract : In the present economic environment feminisation of poverty is a typical trend in the developing nations. There is imbalance and gender discrimination in all the facets of economic development. Given the case of India, the uncounted women labour force in micro- entrepreneurship, particularly women vendors, remains economically unrecognised. The present study explores the status of a section of women engaged in micro-entrepreneurship, working as hawkers/vendors in order to earn the livelihood for their family in the areas of Navi Mumbai (total sample size 108). The working status of women-hawkers/vendors, their role in informal sector, and understanding their life situations and such other factors were explored through survey and qualitative analysis based on a few case studies and focus group discussion. The study confirms poor socio-economic status of women-hawkers/vendors and poor literacy level. Women-hawkers also do not have a collective association to voice their rights; neither have they got support from government. Instead, they are vulnerable towards all sorts of harassment as street vending is illegal. They are subjected to payment of illegal rent/ protection money to local officials, police and goons. Their health and hygiene conditions are also a matter of concern. There are incidents of sexual exploitation as well. Suggestions are made to improve the status of economically backward women-hawkers/vendors. 1. Associate Dean, Research, IBSAR, Belapur, Navi Mumbai-4000614; email: sumi.sarkar36@gmail.com. 2. School of Buisness Management, NMIMS University, Mumbai; email: manjari.srivastava@nmims.edu ASBM Journal of Management, II (2), 2009 48