In the past two decades we have seen an emergence of women as active participants in the growth and development of a country. In some Asian countries, organisations, and women entrepreneurs themselves have played a significant role in not only contributing to economic growth but also in upgrading the social status of women.
Entrepreneurship development came to the fora in the early 80's only and has since then led to the creation of large number of small and micro enterprises, leading to increased job creation. Statistics reveal that a majority of enterprises run by women are in the micro and small enterprises.
While there are similar processes that bring about poverty among men and women, we know that women are more vulnerable than men among the poor and find it more difficult to escape from poverty. It is recognised, therefore that efforts at economic development need to address the gender dimension of poverty as a major issue. Poverty alleviation measures today look at special policies and packages for women in addition to the focus on economic growth. The emphasis on promotion of women owned small and micro enterprises is one such means.