Policymakers cannot afford to ignore the growing contribution made by female entrepreneurs to economic growth. However, women entrepreneurs face greater difficulties vis a vis men. The present study offers a thorough look at the constraint to female entrepreneurship including lack of finance, social norms, inadequate institutional support, insufficient knowledge and training. This paper’s objective is to analyse the major obstacles suffered by women business owners in the Faridabad district, Haryana. Using descriptive research, 500 women entrepreneurs were interviewed from a cross-section of enterprises during the months of January- April, 2023 to analyse the challenges which women entrepreneurs in Haryana face. This research is the first attempt to examine the reasons behind problems that women entrepreneurs face from an institutional viewpoint, for Haryana and India as a whole. Only when the issues constraining women entrepreneurship is addressed holistically and systematically, can the  potential of women be realised to the fullest. The authors have identified four main constraints for women entrepreneurs of Faridabad district These four are the constraints preventing women from having equal access to finance, support, networks and opportunity. As per the institutional theory, the informal institutions are the main source of challenges to women female entrepreneurs primarily due to lack of appreciation of women by our society as a professional entrepreneur. Moreover, social norms dictate a gender-specific traditional role distribution which makes it particularly difficult to balance work and personal life.

KEYWORDS: Women, Gender and Entrepreneurship, Business, Challenges of Women Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship.