Title: Empowering women through rural self-employment training institutes: a study of social enterprises impact in India

Authors: Pawan Kumar; Ritu Kumra; Sanjay Modi; Sumesh Dadwal

Addresses: Department of Marketing, Mittal School of Business, Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India ' District Institute of Education and Training, Ajjowal District, Hoshiarpur, Punjab, India ' Lovely Professional University, Punjab, India ' LSBU Business School, London South Bank University, UK

Abstract: Social enterprises serve as research and development hubs for advancing women empowerment. This research paper aims to demonstrate how rural self-employment training institutes function as social enterprises by offering entrepreneurial training in India and how they contribute to the social and economic empowerment of women. This paper utilises both qualitative as well as quantitative research methods. It includes in-depth interviews of directors and senior faculty of various RSET institutes in India, as well as data was collected from women who have undergone entrepreneurial training through these enterprises. The results of the study are on the basis of capability of verbal opinions of the directors of RSETIs and the same institute women trainees. Hence objectivity of the study is confined to directors, trainees and faculty of RSETIs honesty in providing necessary information. This research paper makes it clear that how RSETIs meet all the parameters of being a social enterprise.

Keywords: social entrepreneurship; rural self-employment training institutes; RSETIs; social problem; innovation, evaluation and effectiveness; scalability; sustainability; qualitative inquiry; women empowerment.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2026.153134

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2026 Vol.58 No.1, pp.45 - 63

Received: 29 Apr 2024
Accepted: 22 Jul 2024
Published online: 23 Apr 2026 *

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