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Empowering Women through Digital Financial Inclusion: Comparative Study before and after COVID-19

Author

Listed:
  • Fatma Mabrouk

    (Department of Economics, College of Business and Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Jihen Bousrih

    (Department of Economics, College of Business and Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Manal Elhaj

    (Department of Economics, College of Business and Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Jawaher Binsuwadan

    (Department of Economics, College of Business and Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

  • Hind Alofaysan

    (Department of Economics, College of Business and Administration, Princess Nourah bint Abdulrahman University, P.O. Box 84428, Riyadh 11671, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

The COVID-19 crisis seems to have disproportionately impacted women’s financial resilience. In fact, women’s economic involvement in the financial sector remains unequal. This study compares the impact of digital financial inclusion on women’s economic empowerment before and after the COVID-19 epidemic in Saudi Arabia. Using data collected from the Global Financial Inclusion Database for 2017 and 2021 and ordered probit models, the paper examines the relationship between economic women’s empowerment and digital financial inclusion. Findings indicate that using digital financial services has become more crucial since the pandemic. The results demonstrate that women now play a more significant economic role in decision-making than they did before the epidemic because they have access to a variety of digital financial services that could affect their choices and decisions. The findings are consistent with a number of previous studies, which found that financial digitization is a significant factor in women’s economic empowerment. The distinctiveness of this study is that it provides a recent assessment of Saudi women’s present financial circumstances and assesses current Saudi government initiatives to enhance women’s economic empowerment and leadership capabilities. The research conclusions provide insights for regulators and implications for future research in promoting digital financial inclusion and ensuring Saudi women’s economic empowerment.

Suggested Citation

  • 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.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:12:p:9154-:d:1164812
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    Cited by:

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    2. Khanullah Mohammady & Sudha Vepa, 2025. "Assessing Gender Disparities in Formal Financial Services Utilization in Afghanistan: Evidence from the Global Findex Database," Post-Print hal-04990019, HAL.
    3. Koffi Sodokin & Joseph Kokouvi Djafon, 2025. "Role of Digital Transformation in Closing the Financial Inclusion Disparities in West African Economic and Monetary Union and the Covid‐19 Effect," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 37(4), pages 887-923, May.
    4. Andlib, Zubaria, 2025. "Empowering Women Digitally: A Randomised Controlled Trial on Digital Financial Literacy and Women's Economic Empowerment in Rural Pakistan," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1656, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    5. Jawaher Binsuwadan & Manal Elhaj & Jihen Bousrih & Fatma Mabrouk & Hind Alofaysan, 2024. "The Relationship between Financial Inclusion and Women’s Financial Worries: Evidence from Saudi Arabia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-19, September.
    6. Nothando Tshuma & Ashley Takudzwa Kufa & Emmanuel Sibanda & Tsepeso Setoboli, 2024. "An Assessment of Financial Inclusion Challenges Among Women Vendors at the Bulawayo Vegetable Market," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(4), pages 1366-1379, April.

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