Introduction
Financial inclusion is a valuable tool for enhancing population well-being, as it facilitates secure savings, financial planning, and opens opportunities for households to generate value through investments in education, entrepreneurship, or physical and financial assets. It also helps mitigate the negative effects of income shocks, such as job losses or emergencies. Despite progress in Mexico, financial inclusion still faces significant challenges, including the gender gap in access.
Gender Disparities in Financial Inclusion
According to the National Survey of Financial Inclusion (ENIF) 2024, women face several disadvantages compared to men:
- 58.6% of women (18-70 years) have formal savings, compared to 68.0% of men, representing a 9.4 percentage point gap.
- 36.1% of women have formal credit, compared to 38.8% of men, equating to a 2.7 percentage point gap.
- 18.3% of women have at least one insurance policy, compared to 28.2% of men, reflecting a 9.9 percentage point difference.
- 34.2% of women have an AFORE account for retirement savings, compared to 51.4% of men, the widest gap at 17.2 percentage points.
Reasons for Disparities
Several factors contribute to these differences:
- Lower incomes: In 2022, women’s average quarterly current income was 43.1% lower than men’s [Source: ENIGH 2022].
- Lower economic participation with high informality: In January 2025, women’s economic participation rate was 45.5%, compared to 75.0% for men. Additionally, 55.5% of employed women were in informal work, compared to 54.1% of men [Source: ENOE, 2025].
- Limited access to assets for credit collateral: In 2024, there was a 13.2 percentage point gap in homeownership (25.3% women vs. 38.5% men), a 26.8 percentage point gap in vehicle ownership (16.5% vs. 43.3%), and a 6.9 percentage point gap in ownership of cultivable land or land (5.7% vs. 12.6%) [ENIF, 2024].
- Economic or patrimonial violence: In 2021, 16.2% of women aged 15 or older reported experiencing such violence in the past year [Source: ENDIREH 2021].
Addressing the Challenges
While women’s roles have evolved in modern society, financial inclusion still presents challenges. It is crucial to advance towards an environment where women have financial tools that strengthen their economic autonomy, support decision-making, and reduce financial dependence. Achieving true equality requires not only promoting access but also ensuring the effective and secure use of financial products.
Moreover, it’s essential to acknowledge that not all women face the same conditions. Subgroups like indigenous women, single mothers, or older adults encounter additional barriers and require targeted efforts from the public, private, and social sectors to address their unique needs for financial inclusion.
Key Questions and Answers
- What is financial inclusion? Financial inclusion refers to the process of ensuring access to various financial services, such as banking, credit, savings, and insurance, for underserved or unbanked populations.
- Why is financial inclusion important for women? Financial inclusion empowers women economically, supports their decision-making, and reduces financial dependence. It also helps mitigate the negative effects of income shocks.
- What are the main disparities in financial inclusion between men and women in Mexico? Women have lower access to formal savings, credit, insurance, and retirement accounts compared to men.
- What factors contribute to these disparities? Lower incomes, limited economic participation with high informality, restricted access to assets for credit collateral, and economic or patrimonial violence contribute to the gender gap in financial inclusion.
- How can these challenges be addressed? It is essential to create an environment where women have access to and effectively use financial tools, while also acknowledging the unique needs of subgroups like indigenous women, single mothers, and older adults.
