Against this background, the Japanese researchers' findings about the leading N role of women in the country's street businesses came as a surprise, suggesting that the informal economy is contributing sig nificantly to poverty reduction for families. However, gender equality experts and government officials said the high er-than-expected share of women in street businesses does not necessarily translate to a narrative of female empow- erment and budding entrepreneurship. In fact, the large number of women heading informal street businesses which are unregulated reflects an imbalance in educational and employment opportu- nities, said Soeng Sophary, a Ministry of Commerce spokeswoman.