Publication

This paper reviews past experiences of micro-enterprise programs in developing countries for women. The author argues that although there are some successes, evidence indicates that the majority of programs fail to make any significant impact on women’s incomes as most programs, including co-operatives, have on the whole benefited women who are better off. The paper thus concludes that the programs cannot be assumed to have a beneficial impact on gender inequalities, but may increase workloads without increasing access to incomes within the household.