Women in the informal sector and their access to microfinance

Paper prepared by ILO
Women as micro and small entrepreneurs have increasingly become a key target group for micro-finance programmes. Providing access to micro-finance is considered a precondition for poverty alleviation, but also for women's empowerment. As poor women are increasingly recognized to be better borrowers, they are starting to become of interest also to regular financial institutions. But despite the proven positive impact of providing microfinance services to female entrepreneurs in the informal sector, microfinance is just one tool among others to address the multiple causes of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.  [Read more] ...