The gender gap in financial inclusion has hardly shifted since 2011 and relatively little research has been aimed at narrowing the divide. The situation is starting to change, but knowledge and action remain separate.
The Women’s Financial Inclusion Community of Practice was launched in November 2016 to address this very issue. Inspiration sprang from the UNSGSA Reference Group’s working group on gender. As its members discussed the landscape of women’s financial inclusion, they realized the need for a centralized platform to share knowledge, identify challenges, discuss good practices, and solve common problems.
Facilitated by CGAP and with support from the Gates Foundation, the new Community of Practice supports collaboration and conversation between researchers, practitioners, and donors. With working groups on technology, social norms, and measurement and data, 300 representatives from 140 organizations are pressing forward with this urgent—and no longer overlooked—topic.