Around 454,000 women are finding jobs in small and medium scale industries (SMSI). According to Women Entrepreneurs Association of Nepal (WEAN), female employees occupy almost half one million jobs created in this sector. “The increasing number of women getting employment in these industries is encouraging,” said Chhaya Sharma, President of the WEAN, in a summit organized by Young Women’s Entrepreneurs (YWEs). 

According to Sharma, there are 14,251 small and medium cottage industries run by women, out of 111,442 the total SMSIs across the country. 

Ajay Pradhananga, President of Nepalese Young Entrepreneur’s Forum (NYEF), said that women’s participation is increasing because of the ability of SMSIs to generate long term employment. He said, “Though the number of women entering this sector is increasing, the lack of access to banks and financial institutions and expertise in information and communication technology (ICT) have made them less competitive.”