it reviews the institutional factors related to access to finance for women and the broader elements of enterprise support the wide range of financial services required by smes and individuals is covered given that noncredit products are an important entry point into the formal financial sector time and time again the discussion about women has centred on social issues as a result statistics about the scale of women s presence in the economy have been poorly documented and underreported creating a chasm of opportunity to be crossed with targeted products and services