Despite immense opportunities women entrepreneurship has not thrived in Bangladesh mainly because of social and family barriers, speakers said yesterday.

Many people in the country still think that women are responsible for taking care of their families whether they are involved in income-generating activities or not, they said at a discussion on “State of Women Entrepreneurship: What We Have Achieved?” at a conference at the capital's Lakeshore Hotel.

Speakers called for more training and support for women so they can enhance their creative, negotiating and risk-taking skills.

Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies organised the conference.

Rokia Afzal Rahman, a successful woman entrepreneur, said women's capacity to earn money is related to her respect and economic power they enjoy both at family level and in society. She said rural women with the help of microfinance are getting solvent. Still they need more support. “When a woman comes out of home it gives her mobility,” said the former caretaker government adviser.

Gulshan Nasreen Chowdhury of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industries said women need to boost their self-confidence and cherish creativity to do something.

Referring to the Economic Census 2013, BIDS Senior Research Fellow Nazneen Ahmed said only 7.21 percent enterprises in Bangladesh are female-headed.

She said although banks have been directed to disburse 15 percent of their SME loans to women, only 3.6 percent was lent to them between 2010 and 2015.

“Women entrepreneurship is limited to a few sectors. It triggers the question whether financing is a major obstacle to women entrepreneurs.”

Simeen Mahmud, head of the gender studies cluster at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, said women entrepreneurship is yet to be well-addressed while many female entrepreneurs take support from their male family members to run businesses.

“We should think about how women can take the lead,” she said.