Key Evidence

Financial systems reflect the roles established within the household, where men are assumed to be financial decision-makers and women are expected to manage care and domestic responsibilities. These roles shape early exposure to financial knowledge, control over assets, and authority in financial decisions. Because women are not expected to act as primary financial actors, they are less likely to be positioned - or position themselves - as independent users of financial services, limiting their engagement with financial systems from the outset.

• Gender norms embedded in family dynamics assign financial roles based on gender from a young age. Men are positioned as primary financial decision-makers, and fathers are more likely to pass financial knowledge to sons rather than daughters. This limits women’s early exposure to financial decision-making and undermines their ability to build financial capability over time. (CGAP 2024)  
• Women lose control over assets after a spouse’s death as inheritance flows to male relatives, reinforcing men as default financial decision-makers and limiting women’s ability to access and use financial services. (UN Women, n.d.)

Biases in product design and rules

Financial products and rules are built around assumptions that align with men’s roles as income earners, asset holders, and independent decision-makers. Eligibility criteria such as collateral, credit history, and formal employment reflect these assumptions, making it difficult for women to qualify or fully use financial services. As a result, systems described as “gender-neutral” are implicitly designed for male users, requiring women to adapt to products that do not reflect their economic realities.

• Structural inequalities in asset ownership, income, and market participation systematically disadvantage women within financial systems. Requirements such as collateral, credit history, and formal employment reflect these inequalities and disproportionately exclude women, reinforcing gaps in access and use. (IFPRI 2019)
• Traditional financial product design - often labeled “gender-neutral” - fails to meet women’s needs because it is built without understanding their financial behaviors, constraints, and goals. When financial institutions adopt women-centered design approaches, incorporating women’s experiences into product development, both uptake and performance improve. (Women’s World Banking 2023)

Biases in policies and regulation

Policies and financial inclusion strategies often rely on assumptions about households, markets, and economic participation that center men as the primary financial actors. Even when formally neutral, these frameworks do not account for how gender roles shape access to assets, decision-making power, and service use. Without addressing these underlying assumptions, policies risk reinforcing existing roles rather than expanding women’s participation in financial systems.

• Financial inclusion efforts often focus on expanding access without addressing whether systems are designed to work for women. Gender inequalities embedded in markets, institutions, and social norms shape how financial services are structured and delivered, limiting their effectiveness. (IDRC 2018)