Providing Perspective:

Closing the Gender Gap

Women are ready, have market potential and are experienced financial transactors

Challenge
Closing the gender gap
Closing the gender gap requires interventions
that bring more women into formal financial
services at a faster rate than that of men.
More women were financially included in 2015
than in 2014 across most FII countries. But,
the rate of financial services adoption among
women is at par or slower than that of men
in most countries, resulting in a stagnant or
growing gender gap.
Opportunity
Women are ready
Many women are equipped with the necessary skills and tools to be financially included. Some FII
countries have successfully expanded the digital inclusion of women through mobile money. Others
have yet to tap into their potential for financial and digital inclusion.
Closing the gender gap will require successfully tapping into womens readiness for financial services
and using it to increase registered use.
2015: Womens readiness for financial and digital inclusion
(Shown: Percentage of women, by readiness factor)

Kenya Nigeria Tanzania Uganda

74% 55% 72% 56% 86% 66% 66% 31%
Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion

Financial inclusion, by gender

2014 2015 65%
included
65%
included
30%
included
28%
included
58%
included
58%
included
32%
included
31%
included

Kenya

69% 72% Bangladesh India Indonesia Pakistan

-7 -7
96% 27% 91% 27% 98% 64% 85% 23%
62% 65% Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion Ready for inclusion Ready for digital inclusion
2015
2014

Tanzania 38% 12% 61% 43% 21% 20% 6% 5%

included included included included included included included included

67%
56% -9
-11
Ready for financial inclusion: Individuals who are literate or numerate and have an ID
58%
Ready for digital inclusion: Individuals who are literate or numerate, have an ID, have mobile phone access, and are capable of sending or receiving SMS (text messages)
2015
45% 2014

Uganda

-9
43% 47% Financially excluded women are an immense market
-15 2015
2014

34% 32% More than 242

Nigeria
570 million million in
India 101
women million in 85
-13
50%
44%
are financially Indonesia million in 61
49
Pakistan million in
37% -14 excluded
2015
2014 Nigeria million in
Bangladesh 13
30%
across the million in
11
million in
8
million in
Bangladesh FII countries* Uganda Tanzania
Kenya

Percentage of total 19% of all 40% of all 46% of all 34% of all 31% of all 34% of all 21% of all 18% of all
48% population, by country Indians Indonesians Pakistanis Nigerians Bangladeshis Ugandans Tanzanians Kenyans
-3 38% -10 2015

38% *Population counts based on World Bank statistics, 2014

2014
35%

India
Women are experienced financial transactors
69%
-12 60% Many women are seasoned savers and borrowers, relying heavily on informal services. A push for
-8
61% greater awareness and access has the potential to nudge millions of financially excluded women into
formal finance.
2015
48% 2014

Pakistan
2015
2015: Financial activities by types of financial services
11% 11%
2014
(Shown: Women who save and borrow through formal or informal means)
-8 -5
3% 6% n Informal financial services n Both formal and informal financial services
n Formal financial services n Financially included

Indonesia
36%
65%
61% 31%
2015
27% 28%
-7 2014 58%
-7
20% 21% 53%
29%
48% 46%
64% 13% 38%
43% 55% 52%
32% 21% 14%
24%
n Men n Women n Gender gap 39% 30% 4%
Gender gap decreasing Gender gap increasing 9% 4%
21% 7%
Gender gapno change 25%
10% 13% 21% 27%
12% 19%
5% 9% 18% 20% 22%
17% 3%
11% 4% 6%
7% 9% 8% 6% 0.9% 6%
4% 4% 2% 1% 2% 1% 0.3%
Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow Save Borrow
Source: InterMedia FII Tracker surveys; 2014, 2015. India Uganda Indonesia Kenya Nigeria Pakistan Tanzania Bangladesh

The next leap forward is to make formal financial services relevant to this large market of
financially excluded women by capitalizing on their experience, potential and readiness.

2016