HYDERABAD: Emphasising the need for encouraging women to become entrepreneurs instead of looking for government jobs alone, speakers at a moot said they could become successful businesswomen as well.

They were speaking at a two-day international conference titled the “Women Entrepreneurship: Challenges and Opportunities” which began on Wednesday at the Sindh University (SU). Vice-Chancellor Prof (meritorious) Dr Mohammad Siddique Kalhoro chaired its inaugural session.

The VC said the university was playing its role in higher education as the number of female students getting higher education had increased over the years. He said the SU was trying to get more scholarships for girls. “We have won confidence of donors and scholarship providers are giving cash for the purpose,” he said.

He added that employment opportunities were being created through Technology Incubation Center and National Incubation Center Hyderabad established on the SU campuses.

CM’s special assistant for science & technology, Tanzila Umm-i-Habiba Qambrani, said today’s women were more powerful than men in terms of strength, courage, determination, tolerance and endurance.

Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Medical University Larkana Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Nusrat Shah said women were not considered equal in economic development and income. “Women have more complaints from men who have to redress their (women) grievances,” she said. She added that girls were seeking admissions to various disciplines more than boys in educational institutions, especially medical universities, which she said was a ‘good omen’.

She said women were reluctant to enter business or entrepreneurship; one of its reasons might be social problems created for women in society. “We just think we must get job after degree, but we don’t want to become entrepreneur. Women are confined to small businesses at home and they don’t earn much,” the VC said and lamented that women were not allowed in business due to social constraints.

She said girls should be encouraged to move towards entrepreneurship rather than looking for government jobs.

Published in Dawn, February 16th, 2023