Furthering The Financial Inclusion Agenda In India: How Important Is Gender?
Author(s)
Saibal Ghosh, Vinod Dharamrajan
Publication
Economic and Political Weekly
ABSTRACT
Exploiting household level survey data, this paper analyses the interface between gender and financial inclusion. The multivariate regressions that take on board several household and state-level controls suggest significant disparities in both the access to as well as the use of finance. More specifically, female-headed households are 10% less likely to access formal finance as compared to households that are headed by males. Similar evidence carries over to the use of finance as well. From a policy standpoint, the paper highlights several policy interventions which can serve the cause of greater financial inclusion of women in the country.
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