Women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment are critical building blocks in development. Inclusion of women in the financial sector and their economic engagement and empowerment will unlock major milestones on the road to a more inclusive future. We found that three enablers are strongly correlated with women’s financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment: policy, infrastructure, and social norms. Specifically, the analysis showed that social norms and enabling policy are the most influential factors affecting women’s economic empowerment.
Impact / Outcome
The most important finding in the paper is that most of the variables that are statistically and substantively significant are the ones government stakeholders can exercise agency to change. Such changes may drive women’s financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment. In this section, we focus primarily on actions that policymakers and regulators (in the financial sector and beyond) can impact. Specifically for policymakers and regulators, there are some key changes in the financial sector infrastructure, legal environment, or other policy areas that can make a difference in both women’s financial inclusion and their economic empowerment.
Key Metrics
Enhance women’s financial inclusion and women’s economic empowerment
Year published
31 July 2021 
Women's World Banking NGOs and other non-profit