Book Description

"This book provides a timely contribution to the growing literature on the gender dynamics of inclusive development. Ojo takes a feminist political economy approach to explore the interrelationship between financial inclusion strategies, the feminisation of poverty and gender empowerment. Her empirical focus on South Africa's entrepreneurs gives voice to women's experiences of financial exclusion/inclusion and gendered financial insecurity, and provides the basis for recommendations for the role of the state in addressing the shortcomings of contemporary development strategies." -Dr Sophia Price, Leeds Beckett University, Leeds "The Politics of financial inclusion of women in South Africa offers a thoroughly researched and nuanced take on the limits and potential of financial inclusion as a development strategy for gender quality. Tinuade Adekunbi Ojo provides a candid assessment of the logic and politics of financial inclusion globally and uses South Africa's women entrepreneurs as a case to vividly illustrate the explanatory power of her thesis. This book is a must-read for the most experienced development workers and policymakers, but it also provides critical context to those that hope to work in this field. Even Corporate leaders and academics everywhere would be wise to pick up this book." -Professor Sam Kamuriwo, Bayes Business School, UK This book presents the assumptions, narratives, and institutions that underpin the key concepts and investigates the limits and potential of financial inclusion development strategy for gender equality. Using South Africa's women entrepreneurs as a central case, the book interrogates the logic and politics of financial inclusion and gender equality globally and locally. It also examines conditions that explain financial inclusion and women's empowerment concerning women-owned businesses in post-apartheid South Africa. Finally, it presents a debate on the socio-economic factors enabling and limiting women's access to and using financial products to improve their socio-economic empowerment and the future suggestions, policies and recommendations on financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs in South Africa. Tinuade Adekunbi Ojo is the Head of Pan African Women Studies Unit and a Senior Researcher at the Institute of Pan African Thought and Conversation, University of Johannesburg.