A decomposition of the gender gap in financial inclusion : evidence from Namibia

Abstract

This paper investigated the determinants of the gender gap in financial inclusion in Namibia, a country where women are more financially included than men. We employed the probit model to identify the determinants of financial inclusion and the Fairlie decomposition to examine the contribution of these factors to the gender gap in financial inclusion. The results suggest that the observed gender gap in financially included is insignificant. We found that individual characteristics such as financial literacy, educational attainment and proximity to financial institutions, contribute positively and significantly to the observed gender gap. Thus, any policy action geared towards improving the level of financial inclusion of disadvantaged women should focus on enhancing their level of education, financial knowledge and access (proximity) to financial institutions. However, the contribution of other individual and household characteristics cannot be completely ignored.