Access to Finance for Female-led Micro, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Female-led Micro, Small, and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), play a vital role as job creators, driving female participation in the economy, and boosting inclusive GDP growth. In addition to the direct economic impact of MSMEs, research shows tha...
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| Language: | English |
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World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/890741521459734141/Access-to-finance-for-female-led-micro-small-and-medium-sized-enterprises-in-Bosnia-and-Herzegovina http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29530 |
| Summary: | Female-led Micro, Small, and
Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSMEs), play a vital role as job
creators, driving female participation in the economy, and
boosting inclusive GDP growth. In addition to the direct
economic impact of MSMEs, research shows that female-led
enterprises employ more women, and that increased control
over resources by women leads to improved health and
education outcomes for children, among other socioeconomic
benefits. Reducing poverty and boosting inclusive growth are
therefore directly linked to the economic participation of
women in general and women-led MSMEs. Gender equality, while
essential and desirable on its own merits, also yields
well-documented economic benefits channeled through female
labor force participation and, relatedly, through women’s
participation in entrepreneurship and leadership in MSMEs.
Social norms, difficulties in balancing work and family time
demands, and limited access to collateral, among an array of
other multidimensional barriers, result in a low percentage
of female-owned MSMEs among all MSMEs and constraints in
realizing their full potential. Women-led enterprises are
more likely to be smaller, informal, and home-based. The
World Bank Gender Strategy identifies the multidimensional
constraints that hold back women’s participation. Globally,
female-owned MSMEs are 38 percent or less of all MSMEs, they
are more likely to be smaller, informal, and home-based.
They are concentrated in services like health, social work,
hairdressing, and beauty treatment. Sectors dominated by
women entrepreneurs show lower growth in value-added and turnover. |
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