There is a generation of women who are breaking down barriers and establishing their own businesses.
Despite all the challenges
Global Voices 13 December 2018
In the Indian-administered Jammu and Kashmir, shutdowns and curfews often bring life and business to a standstill. Setting up a new business could be disastrous for anyone but for women, who must battle social norms about their role in the workplace, the obstacles are tenfold. Despite this, there is a generation of women who are breaking down barriers and establishing their own businesses.
Mufti Sadia started her business when there were no women in the clothing sector of Kashmir. Her boutique was among the first in the Srinagar after she decided to opt out of her previous job and work independently in the valley.
Facing many hurdles and challenges, Sadia started her own brand called ‘Hangers, the closet‘ in 2014 at a shopping mall. Despite the negative comments, she has never looked back:
“My father wasn’t sure what I was doing because I was just 24-year-old back then, but now he also supports me in what I am doing,” says Sadia while attending a customer.
Her family has been a source of inspiration for Sadia, who always helped her cope with the difficulties of being a new, female entrepreneur in the volatile state. Hangers is now a known brand in the Kashmir region.