Ambivalence or antagonism towards women’s financial independence
Deeply held beliefs that women should not control their own finances limit their ability to earn, save, and access financial tools. The costs of these beliefs can be staggering - including financial abuse and physical violence. These attitudes are often reinforced by community norms and social norms that are difficult to shift. For example, in Tanzania, 88% of people surveyed agree that women should seek spousal permission to take paid work, highlighting how entrenched these notions can be. This barrier amplifies nearly every other challenge women face on the path to financial inclusion.
44 Connected Barriers
Most Relevant Segments
- 01. Excluded, marginalized
- 02. Excluded, high potential
- 03. Included, underserved
- 04. Included, not underserved
Most Relevant Customer Journey Phases
- Phase 1: Account Ownership
- Phase 2: Basic Account Usage
- Phase 3: Active Account Usage
- Phase 4: Economic Empowerment
Key Evidence
Social and gender norms shape intra-household decision-making dynamics, what type of economic activity is viewed as legitimate, and influence the types of financial products and services in the market. By understanding what drives this barrier within a household and without stakeholders are better able to deliver financial inclusion solutions for women.
Financial inclusion begins in the household. If a woman cannot decide how to use her earnings or participate in economic activities outside the home, her ability to access - and especially use - financial services is constrained. While influencing household dynamics is complex and often seen as beyond the role of financial service providers, evidence shows that intra-household decision-making directly shapes women’s economic participation and financial behavior.
Access does not equal control
- Increasing women’s access to financial resources - such as income, savings, or accounts - does not automatically translate into control over how those resources are used. Women may still need permission to spend, lack decision-making power, or face social constraints that limit their ability to act on financial opportunities, meaning gains in access often produce only partial or domain-specific shifts in autonomy. In practice, this means that financial inclusion efforts that focus on access alone can fail to improve women’s economic outcomes unless they also address intra-household power dynamics and the social norms that shape decision-making and control. (ICRW 2020)
Participation does not equal empowerment
- IFPRI’s GAAP2 synthesis shows that programs targeting women can increase their participation in economic activities, but do not consistently improve their decision-making power or control over resources. While some gains are observed in areas like group participation or access to assets, changes in deeper forms of agency–such as influence over household decisions or freedom from restrictive norms - are more limited. This suggests that expanding women’s economic opportunities alone is insufficient to shift intra-household power dynamics or ensure that women can act on and benefit from those opportunities. (IFPRI 2024)
Norms shape what is acceptable for women
In Pakistan, rigid social norms that discourage women’s financial independence constrain labor force participation. Survey evidence shows that 83% of men and women consider it unacceptable for women to earn more than men, while 82% of women and 79% of men believe that children suffer when women work–reflecting widespread normative resistance to women’s financial independence. (World Bank, 2023)
Financial dependence can reinforce harm
Financial dependence on men for basic daily needs increases women’s vulnerability to violence, while economic abuse - including employment sabotage that prevents women from working or earning income - reinforces that dependence. Evidence shows that women with financial independence are more likely to leave abusive relationships, underscoring the role of financial autonomy in reducing exposure to coercion and harm. (Kumar, Sanjeev, and Sanjeet Singh, 2025)
Interventions that have successfully addressed this barrier
The following Exemplar represents one evidence-based interventions that has shown success in addressing this particular barrier. There may be other Exemplars for this barrier in the larger Barriers & Exemplars Analysis compendium deck.
