وثانياً، تكون فرص النساء في كثير من الأحيان أقل فيما يخص الوصول إلى شبكات التسويق والائتمانات والمعرفة التقنية، وجميعها عوامل أساسية لتحسين قدرة المؤسسات الصغيرة على المنافسة.
In developing countries, 40-50 per cent of microenterprises or small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are owned by women. Women entrepreneurs are particularly affected by globalization and market deregulation, since they represent the most vulnerable segment of the SME sector and face special difficulties in accessing finance and technology to expand their enterprises, as a result of various legal, cultural and social barriers.