Institute for Development Studies, University of Nairobi

This paper investigates the impact of spatial isolation on Kenyan women's small-scale rural, enterprises. Rural women are increasingly engaging in small-scale enterprises. This is a function of intra-household income allocation responsibilities and the increasing monetarization of the Kenyan economy. Despite the fact that Kenyan women are receiving greater recognition from the Government for their potential to contribute to development, few studies have focused on their participation in small scale enterprises and none have considered influences of spatial isolation on the creation and operation of these enterprises by women. This paper analyzes influences of spatial isolation on the economic linkages that women's rural enterprises have with the rural agricultural sector, the rural informal sector and more distant urban centers.