Global Journal of Human Social Science, C: Sociology and Culture, Volume 22 Issue 1

Volume XXII Issue I Version I 26 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2022 © 2022 Global Journals C The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Women Entrepreneurs: An Analysis from Socio-Economic Perspective in Rangpur City Corporation, Bangladesh responsibilities, Less help or support from the family, Lack of support from the Govt. or any other organizations, Gender division of labors confined them within household, You had to perform both productive and reproductive duties, Gender based discriminations within the household, Exclusion from participation social activities, Social communication and etc. d) Lack of significant managerial skills to manage or cope up with a pandemic situation While more Bangladeshi women are choosing to become entrepreneurs, they are finding it more difficult to start and grow their businesses because they work mostly in the informal sector due to their limitations in managerial skills. Women-owned micro, small, and medium-sized firms (MSMEs) often encounter challenges in obtaining financing and land, as well as low managerial skills and a lack of possibilities for business development training and networking. In addition, women in business must contend with well- established male networks, which include customers, suppliers, and creditors. During the COVID-19 pandemic 96 percentages of respondents acknowledged that they had limitations in their managerial responsibilities, 96 percentages of women entrepreneurs have agreed that their commitment to personal or familial responsibilities had certain impact on their entrepreneurial activities, all the respondents have acknowledged that they didn’t have Work life balance, Equal opportunities as the market has become too narrow due to the lockdown, Ability to use new initiatives as they barely could move outside of home due to pandemic, personal and familial health safety, Lack of Training opportunities from Rangpur Women Chamber of Commerce and industries (RWCCI), the govt. institutes or from any other training institutes which could certainly help them to learn new skills and knowledge to cope up with the pandemic with more resilient and durability, Lack of Market Information, Transportation unavailability to deliver the products or services on time to satisfy the honorable customers. Finally 84 percentages of women entrepreneurs have acknowledged that they have Lack of knowledge to incorporate and utilize ICT. Today we are in an era of booming technology. If women entrepreneurs could asses those technology and channels properly, certainly they could mitigate their economic and others losses and survive with more sustainability. e) Challenges in personal life faced by women entrepreneurs during the COVID-19 pandemic Besides the social and economic challenges, women entrepreneurs were been through a very tough personal life experiences during the pandemic. All the respondents of this study were agreed with a ‘big yes’ regarding question, that they had problems to combine their personal and family life because of the nature of the entrepreneurship. 76 percentages of the total respondents have acknowledged that they had almost no time for leisure; they were bound to work day and night to keep the production balanced and deliver the orders on time. 84 percentages of women entrepreneurs have acknowledged that they had no time for learning new things/skills or entrepreneurial knowledge as they were so busy just to survive with enterprises. 20 percentages of women entrepreneurs argued that they have faced at least one short of gender based violence when they were fighting heavily during the pandemic by their intimate partner or male counterparts. These findings were so depressing that they had no escape but to survive at any cost. f) Occurrences of Violence against Women (VAW) faced by women entrepreneurs in Rangpur City Corporation, Rangpur during the COVID-19 pandemic During the pandemic situation the rate of gender based violence around the world was at its peak. Especially women were an easy prey to oppress within the four-walls of household. The lock-down also limited women’s movement, which was another cause. The women of Ranpur City Corporation haven’t experienced anything different. According to the findings of this study, 72 percentages of women entrepreneurs in Rangpur City Corporation have faced defamation just because of being a woman and running her business during the pandemic. The astounding fact is that the perpetrators were not outsiders. They were always among the family members or neighbors. The forms of violence against women (vaw) include- physical harassment, beaten by their husband, sexual assault, threats of life, limited movement and communication and etc. This study has found that 20 percentages of women entrepreneurs have faced other shorts of violence including- eve-teasing, body shaming, deceit and etc. g) Psychological impacts of Covid-19 pandemic on women entrepreneurs in Rangpur City Corporation, Rangpur All the social, economic, personal challenges along with violence against women ultimately result in psychological impact on the mental health and well- being of the women entrepreneurs. This study finds that all the respondents were in stressed during the pandemic, the forms of psychological oppressions and sufferings of the respondents include- depression, suicidal attempts, self-harm to get rid of mental stresses and depression and fear, isolation, considered vulnerable or insecure in comparison to others. 40 percentages of them acknowledged that they have other sorts of psychological disorders, such as- delusions, lack of sleep and etc. The global COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has had terrible consequences. It isn't only about health issues. Its negative impacts are also being noticed in the country's economic and social sectors. The negative