Jain women break glass ceiling to enter business
Women entrepreneurs to participate in Jain trade expo in city tomorrow
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-10-09 07:23 GMT
Hyderabad: While nearly 400 companies listed on BSE are unable to find just one woman to sit on the high table of board of directors, women in the conservative Jain community appear to have broken the glass ceiling to become entrepreneurs.
“We have allocated 32 per cent of stalls in the Hyderabad trade and lifestyle expo to women. Though in absolute numbers it might be just 54 stalls, we have received nearly 4,000 applications seeking space at the expo. So we have selected 54 woman entrepreneurs for putting up their stalls by the way of lottery,” said said Narendra Surana, the chairman of JITO Apex Business Council.
According to Arvind Srimal, chairman of JITO Business and Lifestyle Expo, “Women’s participation in businesses is being welcomed in the community nowadays. In sync with this, we have subsidised the fees for our women members to showcase their products.”
The trade and lifestyle expo 2015 — on October 10 and 11 — is organised by Jain International Trade Organisation (JITO) in Hyderabad. It will be attended by prominent Jain leaders, including Motilal Otswal. It will showcase products such as cars, furniture, industrial and consumer products, jewellery, and fashion accessories.