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Gender disparities in financial inclusion: Insights from Tanzania

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  • Florence D. Mndolwa
  • Abdul Latif Alhassan

Abstract

This paper examines the status and determinants of gender disparities in financial inclusion using a sample of 4,466 individuals from the Finscope survey in Tanzania. The results provide evidence to support gender disparities in financial inclusion, mostly pronounced in formal savings (21.3%), formal accounts (10.6%) and mobile money accounts (9.4%). This is reflected in 17.1% less likelihood of female ownership of a formal savings account but a 2% higher likelihood to access formal credit. Finally, the paper documents evidence that gender disparities in financial inclusion are explained by lower levels of education, income and over‐dependence of women on men. The findings support gender mainstreaming in other sectors to increase employment and education for women to close the gender gap in financial access.

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  • Florence D. Mndolwa & Abdul Latif Alhassan, 2020. "Gender disparities in financial inclusion: Insights from Tanzania," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 32(4), pages 578-590, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:afrdev:v:32:y:2020:i:4:p:578-590
    DOI: 10.1111/1467-8268.12462
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    Cited by:

    1. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2023. "Microfinance institutions and female entrepreneurship in Sub-Saharan Africa: avoidable female unemployment thresholds," Working Papers 23/018, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    2. Sanjukta Sarkar & Saritha Nair & M. Vishnu Vardhana Rao, 2023. "Exploring the Gender Dimension in Financial Inclusion in India: Insights from the Global Findex Database," Journal of Development Policy and Practice, , vol. 8(2), pages 141-161, July.
    3. Omang Ombolo Messono & Simplice A. Asongu & Vanessa S. Tchamyou, 2022. "Historical prevalence of infectious diseases and gender equality in 122 countries," Working Papers of The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA). 22/005, The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA).
    4. Asongu, Simplice A. & Ngoungou, Yolande E. & Nnanna, Joseph, 2023. "Mobile money innovations and health performance in sub-Saharan Africa," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    5. Simplice A. Asongu & Peter Agyemang-Mintah & Joseph Nnanna & Yolande E. Ngoungou, 2024. "Mobile money innovations, income inequality and gender inclusion in sub-Saharan Africa," Financial Innovation, Springer;Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, vol. 10(1), pages 1-21, December.
    6. Maureen Were & Maureen Odongo & Caroline Israel, 2021. "Gender disparities in financial inclusion in Tanzania," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2021-97, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    7. Simplice A. Asongu & Nicholas M. Odhiambo, 2023. "Female unemployment, mobile money innovations and doing business by females," Journal of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Springer, vol. 12(1), pages 1-26, December.
    8. Tii N. Nchofoung & Simplice A. Asongu & Vanessa S. Tchamyou, 2022. "Gender political inclusion and inclusive finance in Africa," Working Papers 22/063, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    9. Melain Modeste Senou & Julius Manda, 2022. "Access to finance and rural youth entrepreneurship in Benin: Is there a gender gap?," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(1), pages 29-41, March.
    10. Hermann Hegueu Ndoya & Charly Ondobo Tsala, 2021. "What drive gender gap in financial inclusion? Evidence from Cameroon," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 33(4), pages 674-687, December.
    11. Aurelien K. Yeyouomo & Simplice A. Asongu & Peter Agyemang-Mintah, 2022. "Fintechs and the financial inclusion gender gap in Sub-Saharan African countries," Working Papers 22/083, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    12. Asongu, Simplice A. & le Roux, Sara, 2023. "The role of mobile money innovations in transforming unemployed women to self-employed women in sub-Saharan Africa," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 191(C).
    13. Abdoulganiour Almame Tinta & Idrissa Mohamed Ouédraogo & Ramatu Mahama Al‐Hassan, 2022. "The micro determinants of financial inclusion and financial resilience in Africa," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(2), pages 293-306, June.
    14. Simplice A. Asongu, 2023. "Female unemployment and the procedure that a woman has to go through to start a business: microfinance policy thresholds," Working Papers of The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA). 23/014, The Association for Promoting Women in Research and Development in Africa (ASPROWORDA).
    15. Jean C. Kouam & Simplice A. Asongu, 2022. "Female Unemployment and Economic Growth in Cameroon: An Estimation of a Nonlinear Okun's Law Specification by the ARDL Cointegration Model," Working Papers 22/078, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    16. Regean Mugume & Enock W. N. Bulime, 2022. "Post‐COVID‐19 recovery for African economies: Lessons for digital financial inclusion from Kenya and Uganda," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(S1), pages 161-176, July.
    17. Abdul Jalloh*, Mamoud, 2023. "Determinants Of Financial Inclusion In Sierra Leone: Evidence From Findex Surveys," Ilorin Journal of Economic Policy, Department of Economics, University of Ilorin, vol. 10(1), pages 32-45, June.
    18. Fatma Mabrouk & Jihen Bousrih & Manal Elhaj & Jawaher Binsuwadan & Hind Alofaysan, 2023. "Empowering Women through Digital Financial Inclusion: Comparative Study before and after COVID-19," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(12), pages 1-17, June.
    19. Patrick Behr & Jorge Jacob, 2024. "Neighbourhood social capital, account usage and savings behaviour in low‐income countries: Field experimental evidence from Senegal," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(1), pages 84-108, January.
    20. Gregory Mvogo & Christèle Gladisse Awounang Djouaka, 2022. "Effet du mobile money sur la résilience des ménages exerçant des activités génératrices de revenus au Cameroun," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(4), pages 459-471, December.
    21. Senou, Melain Modeste & Manda, Julius, 2021. "Access to Finance and Rural Youth Entrepreneurship in Benin: Is There a Gender Gap?," 2021 Conference, August 17-31, 2021, Virtual 315077, International Association of Agricultural Economists.

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