Gateway Guide to Gender and Women's Empowerment

While progress has been made in reducing the gender gap, the global average for women's annual earnings is still only about half that of men's, despite the fact that women work longer hours when unpaid work is taken into account. Around the world, women's access to land and other assets continues to be restricted by law or custom, particularly in developing countries. Approximately 33% of married women in developing countries have no control over household spending on major purchases, and 10% are not consulted on how their own income is spent.

Global Findex data shows that 1.1 billion women worldwide remain largely outside the financial system, and a higher fraction of men report having a bank account than women. Although the gender gap is universal, it is more pronounced in developing countries.

Many microfinance institutions explicitly target women, because they believe - and studies show - that improving access to financial services helps women to achieve economic freedom to make better choices for themselves and for their families. 

This Gateway Guide presents the most recent noteworthy publications in the Microfinance Gateway Library focused on women's financial inclusion. Our Topic page on Gender and Women's Empowerment is the best way to stay up to date with the latest materials the Microfinance Gateway has to offer on the subject. Be sure to check back frequently and consider submitting your own content.