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Welcome to the archives of Women’s Advancement Deeply. While we paused regular publication of the site on November 15, 2018, we are happy to serve as an ongoing public resource on women’s economic advancement. We hope you’ll enjoy the reporting and analysis that was produced by our dedicated community of editors and contributors.
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Without bank accounts, two-thirds of Bangladeshi women are missing out on the chance to take control of their money and have a say in financial decision-making. Low workforce participation and lack of interest from banks are to blame, experts say.
A new bank in Zimbabwe catering specifically to women – particularly those in rural areas – will offer loans, advice and skills training to help women get the funding and access to markets that traditional banks often deny them.
The fund will focus on women-led companies, helping them access money that banks are unwilling to lend them. And by increasing women’s participation in the business world, the hope is to raise women’s decision-making powers across all sectors.
The third edition of the World Bank’s Global Findex has shown no worldwide progress on women’s financial inclusion, despite strong gains in India.
Sangini Cooperative Bank was the only financial institution in Mumbai to offer sex workers access to savings and credit. Now that the bank has closed, the women are left with only two options: hide their money or risk losing it to moneylenders and con men.
A new report from the Center for Global Development has found that women have much greater interest in opening savings accounts than men do, and that providing women entrepreneurs with mobile banking tools can significantly enhance their profits.
Over the last decade, Rwanda’s government has launched a series of initiatives to help increase women’s economic participation. But many woman entrepreneurs say policies and regulations still make it difficult for them to launch and grow their own businesses.
Atika Kemal Research Interests are Digital Technologies for Inclusion and Socio-Economic Development, Digital Innovation, and Gender
Pakistan’s women-focused social benefits payment system shows how the use of digital technologies not only increases financial access for women, but also gives them a voice at home and in the political landscape, writes researcher Atika Kemal.
The Bhamashah scheme running in Rajasthan aims to increase women’s financial inclusion by giving them more control over their family’s money. Women & Girls speaks with Anit Mukherjee, who co-authored a report on the program’s progress toward that goal.
Mary Ellen Iskenderian President and CEO, Women’s World Banking
The surest way to accelerate progress toward global economic parity is for financial institutions to invest in designing and marketing products aimed at women clients, says Mary Ellen Iskenderian, president and CEO of Women’s World Banking.
Just when the Kenyan women of Lake Victoria were able to shake off the threat of sexual assault and join the fishing trade, a conflict with Ugandan authorities has stripped them of their hard-earned savings.
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