ABSTRACT
This chapter is based on my political activism as well as my academic experience. The start of this project coincided with the General Election in May 1997 and the coming to power of the New Labour government of Prime Minister Tony Blair. Such geographic concentrations occurred partly because of the devastation of particular manufacturing or heavy industries located in regional towns and cities. The brief contextual summary of policies towards the unemployed and those in receipt of welfare benefits in the UK in the late 1990s indicates that the possibility that the unemployed and socially excluded might be assisted to become successful self-employed entrepreneurs was not at the centre of policy. The provision of micro-credit to support women's businesses is a very exciting avenue through which to promote women's entrepreneurial activities, to enhance women's financial literacy and management skills, and to extend the range of possibilities open to women in the coming century.
