Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/287809 
Year of Publication: 
2022
Citation: 
[Journal:] Journal of International Development [ISSN:] 1099-1328 [Volume:] 35 [Issue:] 2 [Publisher:] Wiley [Place:] Hoboken, NJ [Year:] 2022 [Pages:] 272-295
Publisher: 
Wiley, Hoboken, NJ
Abstract: 
Formal digital credit raises hopes to decrease the gender gap in financial inclusion. However, up until now, it remains unknown whether these hopes are justified. Using nationally representative household surveys from Kenya, the present study aims to fill this gap. We find strong indication that formal digital credit, contrasting to expectations, has led to an increase in the gender gap in financial inclusion. We further find indication that the pervasive gender gap in the formal digital credit market is largely attributable to gender differences in socio‐economic variables in combination with a lack of contract term heterogeneity in that market. The paper suggests that policies to strengthen women's position in society and/or to encourage contract term heterogeneity in the formal digital credit market could decrease the gender gap in financial inclusion.
Subjects: 
digital financial services
formal credit
gender equality
regulation
Persistent Identifier of the first edition: 
Creative Commons License: 
cc-by-nc-nd Logo
Document Type: 
Article
Document Version: 
Published Version

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