Abstract

The present paper deals with the performance and role of small entrepreneurship in socioeconomic development
of rural poor women. The selected households for the study divided into three categories of enterprises, namely
livestock and poultry, nursery & handicraft making. The sample size for this study was 90.Findings revealed that
the average annual income generation per household of livestock and poultry, nursery, and handicraft enterprise
groups were Tk 55080, Tk39558 and Tk35630 respectively. Average change in annual income was 110.74
percent after being involved with different small enterprises. Findings also showed significant development
indicators revealed that most of the respondents of all three enterprises reported “high” in different indicators.
The different aspects of health status, sanitation awareness increased to expected level. Change in housing unites
after involvement is quite reverse to that of before involvement. There has been great change in the number of
own tube-well after involvement with enterprise and 100 percent households used the sanitary latrines whereas it
was only 24 percent before involvement. And 138 per cent increase in working days; this positive change
indicates that the small enterprise has generated new self employment activities for the rural poor women. The
analysis revealed that different small enterprise activities contributed significantly to livelihood development of
the household in general and increased participation of rural poor women in economic activities and household
decision making in particular.

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