A&F Research Seminar: Financial inclusion: a contextual study of disadvantaged women in Saudi Arabia

Title: Financial inclusion: a contextual study of disadvantaged women in Saudi Arabia

Guest Speakers: Abdulmajeed Alshammari (University of York) and Philip Linsley (University of York)

02 February 2022
Time: 13:00 – 14:00
Location: Zoom

Zoom link: https://newcastleuniversity.zoom.us/j/81080335699

Abstract

A range of organisations, for example, The World Bank and The Consultative Group to Assist the Poor (CGAP), contend that Financial Inclusion (FI) is vital for alleviating poverty and improving economic growth particularly in developing countries. The principal aim of this study is to examine why disadvantaged women in Saudi Arabia remain financially excluded despite the considerable efforts made by the Saudi government and NGOs in the Kingdom to improve this situation. It is claimed that financial inclusion reduces poverty through enabling those who are currently excluded to access a range of banking services which can enable them to better manage their financial affairs and improve their lives. To understand the experiences of financially excluded individuals this study interviews financially excluded Saudi women from less advantaged communities and, in addition, interviews employees of a Saudi-based NGO whose role is to work with disadvantaged women to achieve their FI and the perceptions of Saudi government officials who are seeking to promote FI. Because the study is Saudi-based and examines the barriers pertaining to disadvantaged females in Saudi, the study considers Saudi societal and social contexts to analyse and interpret the barriers to FI identified through the research.