Neighboring country 'Men's country', women own only 15% of property, they don't trust their bank accounts or...

Women in Kosovo own only 15 percent of property, compared to 74 percent owned by men. Meanwhile, about 16 percent of the total number of business bank accounts in Kosovo are owned by women, 82 percent are owned by men and 2 percent are registered in joint ownership.

Kosovo is turning out to be a country where men still decide. Neither businesses nor bank accounts are trusted by women.

According to a publication made these days by the GAP Institute, it appears that women in Kosovo own only 15 percent of properties, compared to 74 percent owned by men. The remaining 11 percent of properties are owned by legal persons/entities.

"The findings reveal a worrying under-representation of women as business owners in the financial market, indicating an urgent need for targeted interventions (such as affirmative action) to address these disparities."

The report also found that the number of business bank accounts that are owned by women is low.

"About 16% of the total number of business bank accounts in Kosovo are owned by women, 82% are owned by men and 2% are registered in joint ownership. Businesses owned by women in Kosovo have 2.4 times less loans than those owned by men. Specifically, the level of active debt for businesses owned by women is 642.6 million euros, while for men it is 1.6 billion euros. Furthermore, women-owned businesses hold 14.2 times less deposits than men-owned businesses, or only 111.9 million euros compared to men-owned businesses that hold 1.58 billion euros in deposits.
Similarly, it is said that even in individual accounts, women hold 2.42 times less deposits than men in their individual accounts. The amount of deposits owned by women in their bank accounts is said to be 829.5 million euros, while that of men is 2.01 billion euros.

"In the last six years (2016-2022), the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund (FKGK) has helped provide guarantees for 12,653 loans, of which 1,725 ??(14%) are for businesses owned by women. The total loaned amount that FKGK has partially guaranteed from 2016 to 2022 for businesses owned by women is 63.3 million euros, while for businesses owned by men it is 458.9 million euros. Although FKGK has contributed enormously to financial education and access to finance for women, providing guarantees to overcome the challenge of collateral requirements, there is still much work to be done by policy makers".
Based on the report's findings, the GAP Institute recommended that policymakers, financial institutions and other stakeholders promote financial literacy and inclusion for women by providing targeted financing and investment programs, as well as creating mentoring and networking opportunities.

This is said to be done by undertaking awareness campaigns to educate women and other marginalized groups on their rights to own land and property, and by disseminating information about legal frameworks, inheritance rights and registration processes. of the property.

The publication of this report was supported by USAID through the Inclusive Economic Engagement Activity, in partnership with CDF.

The main findings of this report:

Women in Kosovo own only 15% of property, compared to 74% owned by men. The remaining 11% of properties are owned by legal persons/entities.

About 16% of the total number of business bank accounts in Kosovo are owned by women, 82% are owned by men and 2% are registered in joint ownership.

Businesses owned by women in Kosovo have 2.4 times less loans than those owned by men, where the level of active debt for businesses owned by women is 642.6 million euros, while for men it is 1.6 billion euros.

Businesses owned by women hold only €111.9 million in deposits compared to businesses owned by men who hold €1.58 billion.

In the last six years (2016-2022), the Kosovo Credit Guarantee Fund (FKGK) has helped provide guarantees for 12,653 loans, of which 1,725 ??(14%) are for women-owned businesses.