GENDER CHARACTERISTICS OF RURAL FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN UGANDA

The objectives of this paper are to describe the types and socio-economic characteristics of rural financial institutions in Uganda and to describe gender differences between men and women in the use or non-use of these institutions (services). The paper first gives a brief description of the sample, and this is followed by background social, economic, and demographic characteristics of respondents. There then follows a discussion of the use or non-use of financial institutions by respondents, and respondents' perceptions about using financial services. Subsequently, there is a description of the characteristics of informal financial services such as borrowing, lending, saving and deposit activities, and the characteristics of informal financial groups (IFGS). Finally, the implications of the findings are discussed.Of the total respondents interviewed (527), 66 percent were women. Only 11 and 15% of women and men had bank accounts. A higher proportion of rural men (57%) than women (52%) borrowed from informal sources. The fundings indicate that there is limited access to and low level use of rural finances by both men and women. Most rural people tend to hold their savings in the form of non-monetary assets, but women tend to have greater ability and propensity to save than men