Exploring the gender gap in mobile money awareness and use: evidence from eight low and middle income countries

Abstract

We used three waves of Financial Inclusion Insights surveys (2013–2016) to examine gender gaps in mobile money (MM) awareness and use across eight low- and middle-income countries. After accounting for socio-demographic factors (age, marriage, literacy, education, employment, income, and financial numeracy) and other enabling factors (mobile phone, formal identification, and bank account), we found no independent association between gender and MM use in established MM markets in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. In contrast, in emerging MM markets (Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan), significant gender differences in MM use remained. Phone and bank account access had stronger associations with MM use for men than for women in these MM markets, and gender gaps in MM use increased over time. Findings suggest realizing the financial inclusion potential of MM may require a more nuanced understanding of difficult-to-measure and slow-to-change factors–such as legal and social norms–constraining women’s MM use.