Armenia

Executive Summaryabortion (especially among women NGOs and international organizations), hard data are stilllacking, and there has been a reluctance to discuss these issues at the policy level.Gender, entrepreneurship, and enterprise development. Private enterprise is animportant economic driver for Armenia, and increasing female entrepreneurship, especiallydeveloping the economic activity of rural women, is a key priority. Given the lack of formaljob opportunities, this is a crucial option for women. In addition to a government programon women’s entrepreneurship, many donors, international organizations, and NGOsalso have projects supporting women’s enterprise development and business training.In fact, of all women-focused projects in Armenia, the majority address a “women andentrepreneurship” theme.Gender analysis in the area of micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprise developmentis complicated by incomplete statistical data about women and men in the business world.Still, various surveys and studies indicate that women constitute only a small number ofstart-ups and make up considerably fewer than half of all business owners. Women whoare engaged in business tend to operate at the micro and small levels. A number of barriersdiscourage women from starting and expanding businesses: limited business knowledge,skills (especially marketing skills) and confidence, exclusion from business networks, andthe difficulty of balancing family responsibilities with running a business. These factorsare also a reason why women’s businesses are concentrated in trade, services, and smallscaleproduction, often home-based production. A significant number of women whomay technically be considered entrepreneurs are individual business owners who workin handicraft or small-scale food production, provide local services (e.g., hairdressing,tutoring, or guesthouses), or engage in shuttle trade.Female entrepreneurs face other constraints such as limited access to commercial loans.While there are many options for women to obtain microfinance, in practice, women oftencannot access credit because they lack collateral and business experience, or because highinterest rates and their aversion to risk deter them from applying. High interest rates andshort repayment periods are especially problematic for women who run small agriculturebasedbusinesses. Women say their need is for more advanced and targeted training(e.g., in the legislation that regulates entrepreneurship, taxation, accounting, managementskills, and marketing).While it is generally accepted that women are “allowed” to run micro and small-scalebusinesses, women who run larger enterprises must have the backing and protectionof influential men. Many business negotiations take place in informal context, such asover meals, but in some regions of Armenia it would be culturally unacceptable for abusinesswoman to meet a male business partner without a male relative present. Suchrestrictions may limit businesswomen to interacting only within their own circles. Still, inthe family, most female entrepreneurs receive support, especially once they begin to bringadditional income to the household. For 2 years, the government has sponsored nationalawards for female entrepreneurs, an important step toward developing a positive image ofbusinesswomen and promoting their successes to the wider society.Gender, water supply, and municipal services. Women are the main users of water inhouseholds (for preparing meals, cleaning, laundering, bathing children, tending householdxvi