What is Driving Women’s Financial Inclusion Across Countries?

IMF Working Papers, March 5, 2018

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Using a broad set of macroeconomic country characteristics to supplement a new and comprehensive micro-level dataset for 140 countries, the study identifies structural factors, policies, and individual characteristics associated with financial inclusion—in general, and for women in particular.
Data scope: micro-level dataset covering 140 countries.

Structural country characteristics associated with financial inclusion:
- Resource-richness.
- Level of development.
Policy and institutional factors associated with financial inclusion:
- Stronger institutions.
- Financial development.
Gender gap in financial inclusion:
- A robust negative relationship between being female and financial inclusion is found, consistent with previous studies.
Possible explanatory factors for the gender gap:
- Legal discrimination.
- Lack of protection from harassment, including at the work place.
- More diffuse gender norms.

Combines macroeconomic country characteristics with a new comprehensive micro-level dataset for 140 countries to analyze associations between structural factors, policies, individual characteristics, and financial inclusion.

IMF Working Paper No. 2018/038

What is Driving Women’s Financial Inclusion Across Countries?, WP/18/38, March 2018
- What is Driving Women’s Financial Inclusion Across Countries?, WP/18/38, March 2018 (Markdown version)
- What is Driving Women’s Financial Inclusion Across Countries?, WP/18/38, March 2018 (PDF)