Financial inclusion in high-income countries: gender gap or poverty trap?

Abstract

Little is known about the determinants of financial inclusion in high-income countries. Using the Findex dataset, we focus on two regions: The Euro area and North America. In the Euro area, access to financial services can be challenging for women, while in North America, poor households are particularly underserved. This chapter explores potential explanatory factors for the gender and poverty gaps in these two regions. As expected, the region-wise poverty gaps in financial inclusion are aligned with inequality measures. Yet, the factors connected with gender gaps are less intuitive. Our analysis shows that gender gaps in financial inclusion are related more to gendered labor-market characteristics than to institutional gender discrimination. This evidence suggests a link between financial inclusion and the need for consumption smoothing. We therefore speculate that, in high-income countries, gendered financial exclusion is driven more by demand-side factors than by supply-side ones.