The report, Gender and Microfinance in Myanmar: The Business Case for Action was produced jointly by IFC's Gender and Economic Inclusion Group and Financial Institutions Group. It contains findings from a survey of over 1,600 employees from eight leading microfinance institutions in Myanmar, as well as interviews with over 450 women microfinance clients. The survey sought to examine the gender dynamics in the Myanmar microfinance industry, and outline the opportunity for the sector to more effectively meet the needs of women both as clients and employees.
The findings identify the opportunity for the sector to better tailor products and services to meet the needs of women clients who make up about 60 percent of microfinance borrowers in the country. It also outlines how making the microfinance sector more gender inclusive has the potential to deliver multiple benefits, including improving the safety and comfort of both women and men employees at work; establishing an equal opportunity culture which encourages more women to become part of leadership; and helping to attract and retain talent.
The report was produced with the support of the World Bank Group's Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE), which is a multi-donor trust fund expanding evidence, knowledge and data needed to identify and address key gaps between men and women to deliver better development solutions that boost prosperity and increase opportunity for all. The UFGE has received generous contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and the United States.