problems of access faced by women in the credit market are likely to be exacerbated by the tightening of banks credit conditions public interventions to strengthen banks balance sheets and extend credit guarantees have generally lead to improvements in the financing prospects of small and mediumsized enterprises where female ownership is more widespread however data monitoring the financing of enterprises in europe show that at the end of access to finance was the most pressing problem for more than of femaleowned enterprises and rejection rates were significantly higher for women than for men