The report found that social enterprises are being used specifically to support women’s empowerment in Pakistan in three powerful ways, namely to:
• create economic empowerment for women through micro-entrepreneurship
• deliver training or employment opportunities for women
• provide affordable products and services for women

Historically, development policies have focused on large scale industries, but in the 1990s the focus shifted to small and medium enterprises as government better appreciated their contributions to the national economy. Following this, SMEs became an integral part of economic policies. They have been mentioned in the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper 2010, the Microfinance (MFI) development Programme established 1992, the SME Sector Development Programme 2010, and the Reform of the Financial Sector 2008.