According to UNFPA/Women’s Bureau (1996, p. 18) “more women than men live in
rural areas and on the average they spent 52 per cent of their income on economic
activities as opposed to 48 per cent by men”. Furthermore, many MSEs implemented
after the women’s decade had increased the women’s workload and created more
demand on their time (UNICEF, 1992). This called for an analysis of gender roles of
men’s and women’s responsibilities, obligations and contributions from the household
to community level.