(Comper, 1991) Women are increasing

(Comper, 1991) Women are increasingly
turning to entrepreneurship as
a way of coping with the "glass ceiling"
that seems to prevent them
from reaching top managerial levels
in organizations (Morrison, et al,
1987). Others find that entrepreneurship
provides them with greater
satisfaction and flexibility (Belcourt,
et al, 1991). The trend also has been
seen in several Asian countries such
as Indonesia and Singapore
(Lieuanan, 1992). However, as Patel
(1987) notes, the entry of women
into business is a "recent development
in the orthodox, traditional
socio-cultural environment" (P. 172)
of Indian society. While exact statistics
are hard to come by, a decade
ago, the proportion of businesses set
up and operated by women was
only around 1 per cent (Patel, 1987)
This is much lower than the figures
found in western nations.
Several studies in Canada and the
United States indicate that the problems
facing male and female entrepreneurs
are different. As Birley
(1989) notes, while general models