Gender differences in unidimensional and multidimensional financial inclusion in Burkina Faso

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Résumé

Although household access to financial services is widely recognized as a key lever for poverty reduction, a large proportion of the population, particularly women, remains excluded from using theses services in developing countries. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the socio-economic factors contributing to gender disparities in financial inclusion, considering both multidimensional and unidimen sional aspects. Unidimensional inclusion is measured using three specific indica tors: access to a formal bank account, formal savings, and access to formal credit. These indicators are also employed to construct the multidimensional measure of financial inclusion. Using a sample of 1000 observations from the Global Finan cial Inclusion Index (Findex Global Findex (2021) https:// micro data. world bank. org/ index. php/ catal og/ globa lfind ex/? page= 1& ps= 15& repo= global- findex) database for Burkina Faso, the study applies the Fairlie decomposition method, based on a pro bit model, to examine these disparities between men and women. The results show that men have higher levels of multidimensional financial inclusion (4.54%), access to a formal account (11.34%), formal savings (4.86%), and formal credit (3.44%). These disparities can be explained mainly by differences in wealth and education attainment. However, socio-economic factors do not significantly explain the gender gap in access to formal credit. These results suggest that public policies aimed a enhancing women’s economic status and education attainment could play a crucial role in reducing inequalities in financial inclusion.

Mots-clés

Financial inclusion, Inclusion (mineral), Psychology, Economics, Finance, Social psychology, Financial services