This brief argues that research and analysis of sex-disaggregated data can allow stakeholders to accelerate the financial inclusion of women, bridging the gaps in women’s account ownership and finance for women-owned micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). Building on its 2018 Data Bootcamp on gender analytics, FinEquity generated this brief in partnership with UN affiliate Data2X and the South African NGO FinMark Trust.
On the demand side, data from the users of financial services can show patterns in saving and borrowing as well as unmet demand for funding from the informal sector. Supply-side data from financial services providers (FSPs) such as banks, insurers and financial technology companies can reveal patterns in the usage and non-usage of credit, savings and other products.
To increase the availability and usage of sex-disaggregated data: (1) Regulators and policy makers can “conduct national-level, sex-disaggregated demand surveys to complement international data collection;” (2) FSPs can “collect, analyze, and share anonymized sex-disaggregated data on variables such as market size, profit, and revenue;” and (3) International organizations can “provide technical guidance on definitions and indicators for women’s financial inclusion.”
The brief reviews the following case studies on policy change informed by gender data: (1) The annual Gender and the Financial System report by Chile’s Superintendencia de Bancos e Instituciones Financieras has driven FSPs, including the state-owned BancoEstado, to create gender-inclusive financial products; (2) Increased cash transfers to women by Mexico’s National Banking and Securities Commission has considerably decreased the gender gap in account ownership in Mexico; and (3) the Women’s Guarantee Fund of the National Bank of Rwanda has reduced barriers to borrowing for women who do not have traditional collateral or credit histories.
This is a summary of a paper published by FinEquity, November 2020, 17 pages, available at https://www.findevgateway.org/paper/2020/11/gender-data-financial-inclusion
By Romil Pandey, Research Associate
Additional Resources
FinEquity webpage
https://www.findevgateway.org/finequity
Data2X discussion of gender data
https://data2x.org/what-is-gender-data/
FinMark Trust homepage
https://finmark.org.za/
Did you know that MicroCapital publishes the MicroCapital Monitor newspaper each month? Find out more at: https://www.microcapital.org/products-page.
Similar Posts:
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Financial Inclusion That Works for Women,” by Sam Mendelson, Published by e-MFP
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “The Financial Inclusion Compass 2022,” by Sam Mendelson, Published by e-MFP
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Assessing the State of Youth Financial Inclusion in Developing Contexts,” by Niclas Benni, Published by FAO
- MICROFINANCE PAPER WRAP-UP: “Mobile Money, Interoperability and Financial Inclusion;” by Markus K Brunnermeier et al; published by National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)
- SPECIAL REPORT: Increasing Financial Access for Women with Better Data, Mentoring, Staff Training, “Gender-smart” Audits
