Difficulties and constraints faced by women-led microenterprises in pursuing their desired levels of income and growth :: a primer for peri-urban microenterprise development programmes in Myanmar

Abstract

This study of women entrepreneurs (WEs) and their microenterprises (MEs) was conducted in association with the YWCA Wholistic Development Project (YWDP), an ME development programme of the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) located in Htawonbe Ward, North Okkalapa Township, Yangon. The research project was designed to identify a comprehensive list of the key difficulties and constraints faced by WEs, and to develop categories and themes for organizing those difficulties and constraints by using the conventional content analysis approach. Data sources included analysis of available project data, review of microenterprise and microfinance literature, and individual interviews with WEs, key informants, YWDP staff, and members of community based organizations. The three most important factors which were found to influence the multiplicity and intensity of ME-difficulties and challenges in Htawonbe Ward include (i) the type/nature of ME, (ii) the business sector in which a given ME operates, and (iii) the poverty status of the ME owner's household.