Investment finance: off limits for women.

Abstract

In Zambia, women's access to finance is limited because 1) women lack collateral, 2) administrative practices discriminate against women, 3) women lack knowledge and information, and 4) women fail to maintain required financial records because their incomes are so low. Women have invested in areas which would be categorized as "feminine," however, including garment-making and flower-growing. The UNIP Women's League, which was the government's official body charged with ensuring gender awareness in policy-making and planning failed to survive the transition to a multiparty democracy. Some churches and nongovernmental organizations have attempted to promote gender-aware projects to help women survive the current economic crisis, but these programs are few and far between and suffer from a lack of capital. Organizations must adopt a business-like approach to help women move from welfare to economic empowerment.