JMGT_V4_N3_RP4 T.L. Narasimha Reddy P. Niranjan Reddy Journal on Management 2230 – 715X 4 3 53 64 Women Entrepreneurial Orientation, NGOs Vs Profit Organization, Attitude, Self-esteem In ancient India, women held a high place of respect in the society as mentioned in Rigveda and other scriptures. Volumes can be written about the status of our women and their heroic deeds from the Vedic period to the modern times. But later on, because of social, political and economic charges, women lost their status and were relegated to the background. Many evil customs and traditions stepped in which enslaved the women and tied them to boundaries of the house. Entrepreneurial activity attracts certain kinds of individuals, whether it is to promote a public good or private profit. Such self-selection is not a random event, but is influenced by personal characteristics as well as by socio-demographic and cultural factors. This article looks at entrepreneurial behavior in both the non-profit organizations and for-profit organizations to test for differences and similarities that may occur due the sector in which the entrepreneurial activity is located. The authors have studied women entrepreneurs who have founded and run small non-profits and businesses in one city in India. Our findings show that while non-profit entrepreneurs receive a high payoff from promoting social causes, we do not find a single unifying payoff for-profit entrepreneurs. Family background, however, plays an important role in both sets of entrepreneurs in an interesting way. Furthermore, we find experience in the sector, social class and caste, and education also plays important roles. Policy implications are explored. December 2009 - February 2010 Copyright © 2010 i-manager publications. All rights reserved. i-manager Publications http://www.imanagerpublications.com/Article.aspx?ArticleId=1104