Entrepreneurial women from India in Poland: audio report

Women hold about 43 percent of executive positions in Poland, more than the European Union average of 35 percent, according to the Polish Economic Institute (PIE), a state-run think tank.

Narinder Tandon, owner of a beauty salon; Suganya Ganesh, a teacher; and Amrita Lalwani, an Indian restaurant owner, during celebrations of International Women's Day in Warsaw.

Photo: Danuta Isler/Radio Poland

In all, 459,000 women occupied executive positions in Poland in 2021, including 126,000 in the trade sector, followed by public administration and manufacturing, according to the PIE, which released the data ahead of last week's International Women's Day.

But what about women who came from abroad to live in Poland and decided they did not want to give up their careers?

Photo: Danuta Isler/Radio Poland

According to data from India's embassy in Warsaw, the Indian community in Poland consists of traders—in goods such as textiles, garments and electronics—who arrived in the country after the collapse of communism, and professionals with multinational or Indian companies and software/IT experts.

There are nearly 100 Indian restaurants in Poland and about 60 in Warsaw. The community has formed three business chambers.

Many Bollywood films have been shot in this country and yoga practice has grown in popularity.

Radio Poland's Danuta Isler spoke to a few entrepreneurial women from India to find out their stories.   

Click on the audio player above to listen.