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Technical Note

Educator Copy

FINANCIAL ACCESS FOR WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS IN PAKISTAN

Ghazal Mir Zulfiqar


INDUSTRY : Finance

AREA : Finance, Entrepreneurship

ORGANIZATION :

LENGTH : 10

LUMS No : 17-017-2019-2

PUBLICATION YEAR : 2019

DESCRIPTION

KEYWORDS:

Women entrepreneurship, finance, policy making, finance institutions, Pakistan


DESCRIPTION:

Women entrepreneurship has become the new focus of global development interventions. In Pakistan, attention is being paid to international surveys, such as the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor and the Global Women Entrepreneur Leaders Scorecard, which show that it has one of the lowest female entrepreneur ratios in the world. Research within and beyond Pakistan indicates that access to finance is one of the biggest barriers for women in establishing and scaling their businesses. This note details the current status of financial access for women in general and female entrepreneurs in particular. It ends with specific policy recommendations for bridging the gap between women and finance. The note is based on both primary and secondary sources. The primary motivation for writing this note is to create an institutional resource to begin a critical discussion on this important subject. It is hoped that such discussions will lead the way to finding solutions to provide finances for female entrepreneurs in Pakistan.


LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

Listed below are the specific objectives of the note. Instructors are encouraged to cover these points during class discussions. • What factors contribute to the extremely low rate of female entrepreneurship in Pakistan? To what extent does lack of financial access play a role in this? • Unlike other South Asian countries, why have Pakistan’s microfinance and other financial inclusion initiatives failed to cater to the needs of women and other minority groups? • How can digital finance democratize finance and meet the needs of Pakistani women? • What are the steps involved in designing and implementing a multi-pronged policy aimed at reducing gender inequalities in access to finance?


SUBJECTS COVERED:

Gender, Women Entrepreneurship, Access to Finances