The Role of Financial Cooperatives in Building Trust: A Gender Wise Global Analysis

Abstract

Financial institutions are crucial for economic development. Lack of trust in financial institutions such as banks can have catastrophic consequences, as observed during past financial crises and the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering the importance of financial institutions, we examine the major factors influencing trust in financial institutions among the female population at a global sample. We explore the potential impact of contextual factors, such as institutional performance and country-level trust, on trust in financial institutions by employing logit and Probit models in a global data set. We find that women tend to trust banks more than men on average. We propose that greater gender equality in society and financial inclusion can decrease the gender gap in trust in banks at the country level.