• Description
  • Key findings

The financial exclusion of women is a global problem with 'more than 1.3 billion women in the world operating outside the formal financial system' (Demirguc-Kunt, Klapper & Singer, 2013: 2). This situation is mirrored in Africa where more than 70 percent of women are financially excluded and where women's access to finance and financial services is consistently behind that of their male counterparts (MFW4A, GIZ & New Faces New Voices, 2012). Accelerating women's financial inclusion thus requires bold and sustained action to advance women's economic opportunities and rights and to ensure that they can meaningfully participate in the economy without undue constraints and barriers that limit their progress. This paper examines the persistent challenges women face in accessing finance and financial services, why gender-specific barriers exist and what they are, factors that will contribute to removing these barriers and why women require more innovative support from the financial sector to transcend these barriers and harness their full economic potential.