Drawing on Finscope/FinAccess data from Kenya and South Africa, this blog explores gendered patterns in how people use financial services over their lifetimes. It shows a rapid rise in the adoption of credit and savings services in the late teen years (with virtually no gender gap), and a growing divergence among women and men in their 20s and 30s. The analysis suggests that gender influences preferences for formal vs. informal financial services – with women opting disproportionately for informality, regardless of income or education.
Blog » Growing Up, Growing Informal: Gender Differences in Financial Services (2022)
Growing Up, Growing Informal: Gender Differences in Financial Services (2022)
Drawing on Finscope/FinAccess data from Kenya and South Africa, this blog explores gendered patterns in how people use financial services over their lifetimes. It shows a rapid rise in the adoption of credit and savings services in the late teen years (with virtually no gender gap), and a growing divergence among women and men in their 20s and 30s. The analysis suggests that gender influences preferences for formal vs. informal financial services – with women opting disproportionately for informality, regardless of income or education.