Financial Inclusion and Legal Discrimination Against Women : Evidence from Developing Countries

This paper documents and analyzes gender differences in the use of financial services using individual-level data from 98 developing countries. The data, drawn from the Global Financial Inclusion (Global Findex) database, highlight the existence of significant gender gaps in ownership of accounts and usage of savings and credit products. Even after controlling for a host of individual characteristics including income, education, employment status, rural residency and age, gender remains significantly related to usage of financial services. This study also finds that legal discrimination against women and gender norms may explain some of the cross-country variation in access to finance for women. The analysis finds that in countries where women face legal restrictions in their ability to work, head a household, choose where to live, and receive inheritance, women are less likely to own an account, relative to men, as well as to save and borrow. The results also confirm that manifestations of gender norms, such as the level of violence against women and the incidence of early marriage for women, contribute to explaining the variation in the use of financial services between men and women, after controlling for other individual and country characteristics.

Bibliographic Details

Main Authors:	Singer, Dorothe, Demirguc-Kunt, Asli, Klapper, Leora
Language:	English en_US
Published:	World Bank, Washington, DC 2013-04
Subjects:	ACCESS TO CAPITAL, ACCESS TO CREDIT, ACCESS TO EXTERNAL FINANCE, ACCESS TO FINANCE, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICE, ACCESS TO FINANCIAL SERVICES, ACCESS TO FORMAL CREDIT, ACCESS TO RESOURCES, ACCOUNT OWNERSHIP, ACCOUNT USAGE, ADMINISTRATIVE BARRIERS, ADULT POPULATION, ASSET OWNERSHIP, ATTITUDES TOWARDS WOMEN, BANK ACCOUNT, BANK ACCOUNTS, BANK DATA, BANK LOANS, BANKS, BARRIERS TO INVESTMENT, BORROWING, BUSINESS EXPERIENCE, BUSINESS MANAGEMENT, BUSINESS OWNER, BUSINESS OWNERS, BUSINESS OWNERSHIP, CIVIL LAW, COLLATERAL, COLLEGE DEGREE, CONSUMER, CONSUMER FINANCE, CONTRIBUTION, COURT, COURTS, CREDIT CARDS, CREDIT CONSTRAINTS, CREDIT HISTORIES, CREDIT MARKET, CREDIT MARKETS, CREDIT PRODUCTS, CREDIT RATIONING, CREDIT SCORES, CREDIT UNION, CULTURAL NORMS, CUSTOM, CUSTOMARY LAW, CUSTOMARY PRACTICES, DEBT, DEBTS, DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, DENIAL RATES, DEPOSIT, DEPOSIT ACCOUNT, DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, DEVELOPMENT BANK, DEVELOPMENT POLICY, DEVELOPMENTAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP, DISCRIMINATION, DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN, DIVORCE, EARLY MARRIAGE, ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT, ECONOMIC GROWTH, ELECTRONIC PAYMENTS, EMERGENCIES, EMPLOYEE, EMPLOYER, EMPLOYMENT STATUS, ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT, ENTREPRENEUR, ENTREPRENEURIAL ACTIVITIES, ENTREPRENEURS, ENVIRONMENT FOR WOMEN, EQUAL ACCESS, EQUAL RIGHTS, EQUITABLE TREATMENT, EXPENDITURE, EXTERNAL FINANCING, FAMILIES, FAMILY LAW, FAMILY MEMBER, FAMILY MEMBERS, FEMALE, FEMALE BORROWERS, FEMALE ENTREPRENEURS, FEWER WOMEN, FINANCIAL ACCESS, FINANCIAL BEHAVIOR, FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS, FINANCIAL DEVELOPMENT, FINANCIAL EXPERIENCES, FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FINANCIAL LITERACY, FINANCIAL MARKETS, FINANCIAL PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL SERVICE PROVIDERS, FINANCIAL SERVICES, FINANCIAL SYSTEM, FINANCIAL SYSTEMS, FINANCIAL TOOL, FIXED COSTS, FORMAL CREDIT, FORMAL FINANCE, FORMAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTION, FORMAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS, FORMAL FINANCIAL SECTOR, FORMAL FINANCIAL SERVICES, FORMAL LENDING, FORMAL LOAN, FORMAL LOANS, FORMAL SAVINGS, GENDER, GENDER BIAS, GENDER DIFFERENCE, GENDER DIFFERENCES, GENDER DISCRIMINATION, GENDER DISPARITY, GENDER EQUALITY, GENDER EQUALITY ACT, GENDER GAP, GENDER GAP IN ACCESS, GENDER GAPS, GENDER NORMS, GENDER PARITY, GENDER PERSPECTIVE, GENDERS, GROUP LENDING, GUARANTORS, HEAD OF HOUSEHOLD, HOME, HOUSEHOLD DYNAMICS, HOUSEHOLD FINANCE, HOUSEHOLD LEVEL, HOUSEHOLD SIZE, HOUSEHOLDS, HUSBAND, HUSBANDS, INCOME, INCOME GROUPS, INCOME INEQUALITY, INCOME LEVELS, INCOMES, INEQUALITY, INFORMAL CREDIT, INFORMAL LENDER, INFORMAL SAVINGS, INHERITANCE, INHERITANCE RIGHTS, INTENSIVE INDUSTRIES, INTEREST RATE, INTEREST RATES, INTERNATIONAL BANK, INVESTING, LABOUR ORGANIZATION, LACK OF ACCESS, LAWS, LEGAL SITUATION, LEGISLATION, LENDERS, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, LITERACY RATES, LOAN, LOAN AMOUNTS, LOAN APPLICANTS, LOAN APPLICATIONS, LOAN MARKET, LOAN OFFICERS, MARITAL PROPERTY, MARITAL STATUS, MARRIAGES, MARRIED MAN, MARRIED WOMAN, MARRIED WOMEN, MFI, MICRO-ENTERPRISE, MICROFINANCE, MICROFINANCE INSTITUTION, OBSTACLES TO GROWTH, PERSONAL CREDIT, PERSONAL SAVINGS, POLICY DISCUSSIONS, POLICY RESEARCH, POLICY RESEARCH WORKING PAPER, POPULATION STATISTICS, POWER OF WOMEN, PROBABILITY, PROGRESS, PROPERTY RIGHTS, REAL ESTATE, REGRESSION ANALYSIS, RESIDENCE, RESPECT, SAVINGS, SAVINGS BEHAVIOR, SAVINGS GROUP, SAVINGS INSTRUMENTS, SAVINGS PRODUCT, SAVINGS RATES, SECOND LOAN, SECONDARY EDUCATION, SEX, SEX DIFFERENCES, SMALL BUSINESS, SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS, SMALL BUSINESSES, SMALL ENTERPRISE, SOCIAL MOBILITY, SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS, SOURCES OF CREDIT, STD, UNEMPLOYED, UNIFEM, UNITED NATIONS, UNITED NATIONS FUND FOR WOMEN, UNMARRIED MEN, UNMARRIED WOMEN, VILLAGE, VIOLENCE, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, WAGES, WEDDING, WIFE, WILL, WIVES, WOMAN, WOMEN BORROWERS, WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS, WORKING WOMEN,
Online Access:	http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/04/17605618/financial-inclusion-legal-discrimination-against-women-evidence-developing-countries https://hdl.handle.net/10986/15553
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