Closing the Gap or Widening the Divide? Heterogeneous Effects of Mobile Money on Gender Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa

Article DOI: https://doi.org/10.57017/jaes.v21.3(93).19

Author(s):

Sié Ernest YOUL Center for Economic and Social Studies, Documentation and Research University Thomas SANKARA, Saaba, Burkina Faso
Naavourétéon PALENFO Centre for Economic and Social Studies, Documentation and Research University Thomas Sankara, Saaba, Burkina Faso

Abstract:

This article examines the effects of mobile money on gender inequalities using a panel of 41 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 2004–2020. Results from two-stage least squares and instrumental-variables quantile regression indicate that mobile money reduces gender inequalities in SSA. However, the magnitude of these effects varies depending on the distribution of gender inequalities. The effects are more pronounced in countries with low levels of gender inequalities. In countries with high levels of gender inequalities, mobile money has a limited impact. These results suggest that financial inclusion policies that use mobile money should target women more effectively to reduce gender inequalities in SSA. They also indicate that measures aimed at sustainably reducing gender inequalities should be directed more towards countries where gender inequalities are particularly pronounced.

Copyright© 2026 The Author(s). This article is distributed under the terms of the license CC-BY 4.0., which permits any further distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Article’s History: Received 23rd of April, 2026; Revised 27th of May, 2026; Accepted 24th of June, 2026; Available online: 30th of June, 2026. Published as research article in the Volume XXI, Summer, Issue 3(93), 2026.

How to cite:

Youl, S. E., & Palenfo, N. (2026). Closing the Gap or Widening the Divide? Heterogeneous Effects of Mobile Money on Gender Inequalities in Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Applied Economic Sciences, Volume XXI, Summer, 3(93), 1053– 1067. https://doi.org/10.57017/jaes.v21.3(93).19

Conflict of Interest Statement: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Funding Statement: This research did not receive any specific funding from public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding bodies.

Data Availability Statement: The data that support the findings of the study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Ethical Approval Statement: This study is theoretical and empirical in nature and did not involve human participants, personal data, or animal subjects. Consequently, no ethical approval was required.

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