Key Evidence

Available evidence consistently shows that women file fewer complaints than men, even when they experience similar rates of service issues. The research offers multiple explanations: lower awareness of formal complaint channels; social norms that discourage women from asserting grievances formally or publicly; lower levels of digital literacy and confidence navigating complaint systems; and prior experiences of unresolved complaints may lead women to limit reporting. Understanding which mechanisms are operative in specific markets is critical to designing redress systems that actually serve women. 

Even where complaint channels exist, women disproportionately fail to use them. The gap between the share of women experiencing service issues and the share filing formal complaints points to structural and social barriers that limit effective redress.

• Research conducted by IPA in Uganda found that women were 45% of mobile money subscribers but only 30-34% of complainants. Women’s complaints were similar in type to men’s but were reported significantly less frequently. The study was inconclusive as to whether the gender differences reflected usage-based risk differences or lower awareness on how to file complaints. (IPA, 2021)
• Women's lower confidence navigating formal service channels is not unique to complaint systems; it reflects a broader pattern of requiring significantly more support before feeling comfortable using digital financial services at all. In Ghana, Tigo found that women required 5 to 10 agent interactions on average before initiating transactions independently, compared to 3 to 5 for men. When this baseline confidence gap is compounded by the additional complexity of complaint processes, it helps explain why women disproportionately disengage rather than escalate unresolved issues. (GSMA, 2017) 
• Women face distinct consumer protection risks in digital financial services—they are more likely to be discriminated against, experience mis-selling, and encounter difficulties with complaint processes—yet remain significantly under-represented in formal complaint data. (IPA, 2025)

Women's lower rates of complaint filing reflect structural and social obstacles rather than a lower incidence of service problems. These barriers compound each other: limited digital literacy makes navigating online complaint systems harder; social norms discourage public assertiveness; and past experiences of unresolved issues reduce motivation to try again.

• CGAP research shows that digital finance risks, including poor complaint outcomes, hit women hardest. Women who experience fraud, unexpected charges, or service failures are less likely to recover their losses because they face compounded barriers: lower digital literacy for navigating complaint processes, social norms discouraging public assertiveness, and reduced access to formal institutions. (CGAP, 2022)

The under-representation of women in complaint data creates a systemic invisibility problem: regulators relying on complaint records to identify market conduct failures will systematically underestimate how financial markets fail women. Closing this gap requires both better data collection requirements and proactive regulatory action to reach women through accessible, gender-sensitive redress channels.