The situation of women in trade in both the formal and informal sectors : the case of Malawi

Abstract

The Conference of African Ministers of Trade in 199!, apart from recommending, also reiterated the objectives in the "Strategies for Revitalization, Recovery and Growth of Africa's Trade in the 1990s and Beyond (E/ECA/TRADE/89/25 Rev.5) regarding the need to improve significantly, the participation of women in trade by stressing the legal, social, economic, religious and cultural constraints that have been major impediments to women's effective participation in this sector including small-scale and agro-industries. This paper focuses attention mainly on women in the informal and formal sectors of trade and commerce. Chapter two reviews, the situation of women in the informal sector while Chapter three examines the situation of women in the formal trade sector Chapter four addresses the question of access of women to credit and finance whereas Chapter five gives conclusions and recommendations based on the analysis of the preceding Chapters It is important to stress from the outset that a major reference point will be experiences of the Malawi economy where a field mission had been undertaken for this particular purpose.