The Role of Banks in Promoting Women Entrepreneurship in Bangladesh

The intention of this paper is to examine the role of banks particularly the state owned and specialized banks in promoting women entrepreneurship in Bangladesh. Women constitute almost half of the total population in Bangladesh. Majority of them are either confined within the family activities or shaped by increasing poverty that forces them to remain detached from the income generating activities. Without the participation of women in the development process viable socio-economic changes cannot be perceived as sustainable. Therefore, bringing women in the mainstream of economic development has now become a major concern for the policy makers in both developed and developing countries.