Cultivating Women Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of SEWA

This chapter explores the relationship between social entrepreneurship and women’s empowerment. The extant literature views social entrepreneurship as a solution to poverty and gender inequalities and discusses how social enterprises empower women by developing their skills and capabilities in emerging economies. Notwithstanding the important contribution, the theoretical foundations of these studies largely remain Western-centric and are limited in providing novel insights on the motivation, function, and impact of entrepreneurial activities. We extend this research by exploring the work of a social organization in India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), and by delineating the Gandhian principles that guide its mission, organizational structure, and implementation process. We show how the theoretical underpinning of SEWA in Gandhian philosophy of nonviolence and dignity of labour has enabled it to design holistic programs that focus on “Women, Work and Peace.” We elaborate on the implications of these principles for building equitable, resilient communities during a crisis such as covid-19.