Entrepreneurial Women in Lao People's Democratic Republic

Lao People's Democratic Republic (PDR) is located within the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) as part of mainland Southeast Asia. This chapter explores the situation of women in contemporary Lao PDR with a particular emphasis on entrepreneurial economic activities. It focuses on the roles of entrepreneurial Lao women in the context of a dynamic and changing environment. It is important to understand why change is taking place as well as the effects of that change. The chapter considers the prospects for women in the formal sector and the interactions between formality and informality, and deals with a discussion of policy and institutional change that will be required to bring about equitable change in this regard. There are many opportunities for small-scale entrepreneurial activities in which women are involved. Before the opening of the Second Friendship Bridge across the River Mekong linking Savannakhet in Lao PDR with Mukdahan in Thailand