New research by Caribou Digital and the DFS Lab predicts implementation of the Level One Principles will benefit women and help close the gender gap

This new body of research—funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation—explores this phenomenon from a different angle. Can better digital payment system design create the conditions for more women to use digital financial tools? Generally, the analysis predicts that adoption of an L1P system will have positive benefits for women relative to the typical digital payments system. The research shows how women’s exclusion is driven by structural-cultural and socio-economic issues. Such issues include the fact that many societies invest less in building women’s knowledge and trust of financial products. Also, the fact that women are more often budget and time-constrained than men and thus more sensitive to cost and time barriers, and they face more specific structural barriers, like owning lower-end phones or lacking necessary ID documents. Better payment system design features and policies can help address these barriers.

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