Executive Summary
Removing access to finance barriers for women is critical for promoting female entrepreneurship, enhancing gender equality and inclusive growth in Pakistan. Research from South Asia suggests that the success of women’s ventures is highly correlated with their access to financial services. But access to credit, savings, insurance, and remittance services is particularly limited for women in Pakistan. Patriarchal norms, gender-blind policies, legal barriers, and low levels of financial literacy restrict women from tapping the country’s financial resources. There is an urgent need for policymakers and financial institutions to recognize that the financial industry requires gender mainstreaming. This would involve taking definitive steps to make the financial landscape enabling for women in general and female entrepreneurs in particular.
