Women, assets, and formal savings: A comparative analysis of Ecuador, Ghana and India
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Date
2019-01-03
Authors
Oduro, A.D.
Doss, C.
Swaminathan, H.
Deere, C.D.
Suchitra, J.Y.
Anglade, B.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Development Policy Review
Abstract
Motivation: Savings are an important but often overlooked component of
financial inclusion. While women are less active than men in the formal
financial sector there is little understanding about their ability to accumulate
savings.
Purpose: We hypothesize that a woman’s individual economic status,
measured by her property ownership, is an important driver of her ability
to save.
Approach and Methods: Women are considered as savers in the formal
sector only if they have savings above a minimum threshold. Three
measures of women’s asset ownership are used: two capture their absolute
property status and one their relative status in the household. The data
are obtained from three large‐scale surveys that collected individual‐level
asset data in Ecuador, Ghana and the Indian state of Karnataka. Logistic
regression models are employed to examine the relationship between women’s
property ownership and accumulation of savings.
Findings: The absolute value of a woman’s physical assets and her share
of household physical wealth are correlated with being able to accumulate
formal savings. Women’s relative wealth status is more strongly related
to their savings, along with education, paid employment and group
membership.
Conclusions: Women’s intrahousehold status, defined by their relative
wealth, is critical to determining their ability to save in formal accounts.
Policy Implications: Interventions that boost women’s bargaining power,
by increasing their property ownership, should be encouraged, along with
greater efforts to improve girls’ access to quality education. Functional
literacy training for older women can both reduce barriers to accessing
financial institutions and create awareness of their benefits. Constraints to
women’s participation in the labour force should be removed in tandem
with interventions to reduce gender earnings gaps.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
financial institutions, formal savings, gender, immoveable property
Citation
Doss C, Swaminathan H, Deere CD, Suchitra JY, Oduro AD, Anglade B. Women, assets, and formal savings: A comparative analysis of Ecuador, Ghana and India. Dev Policy Rev. 2019;00:1–26. https ://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12424