RURAL WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP: KEY TO INDUSTRIAL GROWTH, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF A COUNTRY - A STUDY WITH REFERENCE TO TAMILNADU STATE, INDIA

Rural Women's entrepreneurial activity has enormously contributed to the Industrial, economic and social growth in the rural areas over the past few years in the state of Tamilnadu, India. The Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises started by rural women are classified into three categories of business activities such as manufacturing, trading and service sectors. This paper investigated the impacts of women entrepreneurship and the rural women's entrepreneurial activity helps in Industrial, economically and social development of women's in the rural parts of the country. The present study has analyzed the before and after effects of social and economic status of rural women with respect to women entrepreneurship. The study has also examined the industrial development in the rural areas through rural women entrepreneurship. A descriptive research study had been conducted through direct interview with the rural women entrepreneurs. Secondary data were also obtained from the websites and publications of government departments with respect to the programmers and promotion made for industrial development and promotion of rural women entrepreneurial activities. From the list of women entrepreneurs across the Tamilnadu state of India, 600 women entrepreneurs were interviewed as samples and data obtained were processed and analyzed using statistical tools and the outcomes of the findings were discussed in detail in the paper