Women, assets, and the accumulation of Savings: A comparative analysis of ecuador, Ghana and India

Abstract

Ownership of financial assets is an important component of the path towards women’s economic empowerment. Savings serve as a reliable and convenient way to cushion against economic shocks while enabling women to accumulate the means to purchase productive assets. Using data from Ecuador, Ghana, and the Indian state of Karnataka, this paper analyzes which women have savings, the type of savings, and how these are related to both individual and household characteristics. We find a gender gap in the incidence of savings in favor of men, although it is low for both men and women. Our results suggest women who are better educated, have paid employment, and are members of groups are more likely to have formal accounts. We also find that it is women’s ownership of immovable property, not that of the household, that is related to their having accumulated savings in formal accounts.