Gender and Microfinance: Women-Centric Lending Training Course

Gender and Microfinance: Women-Centric Lending Training Course

Introduction

Gender and Microfinance: Women-Centric Lending provides comprehensive knowledge on designing, managing, and scaling women-focused financial inclusion programs. As global development agendas emphasize gender equality, women's economic empowerment, and financial inclusion, microfinance institutions increasingly adopt gender-responsive lending models to expand outreach, reduce poverty, and strengthen community resilience. Gender and Microfinance: Women-Centric Lending Training Course equips participants with cutting-edge insights on gender-lens investing, women’s financial behavior, socio-economic barriers, digital empowerment, and inclusive product design for women entrepreneurs in rural and urban settings.

Through a blend of case studies, gender analytics, risk assessment techniques, and operational strategies, this training strengthens the capacity of practitioners to create impactful women-centric lending programs. Participants will explore digital microfinance solutions, group lending dynamics, women's savings models, credit scoring innovations, and policy frameworks that support sustainable, transformative financial inclusion for women. This course enables organizations to align with global priorities while harnessing the economic potential of women-led enterprises.

Course Objectives

1. Understand gender dynamics and their influence on microfinance participation.
2. Apply trending gender-lens investing approaches to microfinance programs.
3. Identify structural and socio-economic barriers affecting women borrowers.
4. Design inclusive credit, savings, and insurance products for women.
5. Strengthen women-focused financial literacy and capacity-building programs.
6. Integrate digital financial services tailored for women entrepreneurs.
7. Enhance institutional gender mainstreaming in financial operations.
8. Conduct gender-based portfolio analysis and risk assessment.
9. Evaluate the impact of women-centric lending on household wellbeing.
10. Build gender-responsive M&E systems for microfinance initiatives.
11. Strengthen group lending methodologies for women’s collectives.
12. Utilize behavioral insights to improve product adoption among women.
13. Develop sustainable, scalable strategies for gender-focused microfinance models.

Organizational Benefits

• Enhanced outreach to women-led enterprises and underserved groups
• Increased loan repayment performance through gender-aligned models
• Improved risk management in women-targeted portfolios
• Strengthened gender mainstreaming within operations and strategy
• Greater adoption of digital financial services among female clients
• Improved impact measurement for gender-focused initiatives
• Stronger alignment with SDG goals and donor expectations
• Enhanced institutional reputation for promoting gender equality
• Improved client protection and responsible lending standards
• Stronger community partnerships supporting women entrepreneurs

Target Audiences

• Microfinance institution managers
• Gender and development practitioners
• Financial inclusion program officers
• Credit officers and portfolio managers
• NGO and community project leaders
• Digital financial services teams
• Women empowerment program coordinators
• Policy makers and regulatory officers

Course Duration: 10 days

Course Modules

Module 1: Foundations of Gender and Microfinance

• Gender roles and economic participation
• Feminist financial inclusion frameworks
• Importance of women-centric lending
• Barriers women face in accessing finance
• Linking microfinance to gender equality
• Case Study: Women’s microfinance initiatives transforming communities

Module 2: Gender-Lens Investing in Microfinance

• Principles of gender-lens investing
• Integrating GLI into microfinance policies
• Investor expectations and impact frameworks
• Financing women-owned MSMEs
• Donor-funded gender programs
• Case Study: Gender-lens capital expanding women’s credit access

Module 3: Women’s Financial Behaviors and Market Segmentation

• Financial decision-making patterns among women
• Segmentation of women borrowers
• Income patterns and expenditure analysis
• Cultural norms influencing financial choices
• Designing responsive market strategies
• Case Study: Segment-driven product success in women markets

Module 4: Women-Centric Product Design

• Designing tailored savings solutions
• Women-focused microcredit models
• Microinsurance for women and families
• Product pricing and affordability
• Incorporating behavioral nudges
• Case Study: Women-optimized loan product adoption

Module 5: Digital Financial Services for Women

• Digital wallets and mobile money uptake
• Strengthening digital identity for women
• Agent networks serving female clients
• Digital literacy and safety challenges
• Enhancing women’s access to fintech
• Case Study: Digital microfinance improving rural women’s access

Module 6: Financial Literacy and Capacity Building

• Women-focused training methodologies
• Curriculum development for financial skills
• Building confidence and decision-making capacity
• Addressing social and household constraints
• Tools for sustained learning
• Case Study: Financial literacy improving household economic stability

Module 7: Risk Management in Women-Centric Lending

• Risk profiles of women borrowers
• Portfolio diversification strategies
• Non-financial risks affecting women clients
• Early warning tools and monitoring
• Strengthening client protection systems
• Case Study: Risk mitigation improving women-focused portfolio health

Module 8: Group Lending and Women’s Collectives

• Group formation and leadership
• Peer monitoring and social cohesion
• Loan appraisal within groups
• Conflict resolution strategies
• Empowerment through collective structures
• Case Study: Group lending strengthening women’s enterprise success

Module 9: Behavioral Finance Applications

• Behavioral biases affecting women borrowers
• Designing interventions for better repayment
• Encouraging savings and long-term planning
• Nudges for digital adoption
• Addressing psychological barriers
• Case Study: Behavioral design improving women’s savings behavior

Module 10: Gender Mainstreaming in MFIs

• Organizational gender policies
• Leadership and staff training
• Gender-sensitive operational frameworks
• Creating supportive institutional cultures
• Internal gender audits
• Case Study: MFI transformation through gender mainstreaming

Module 11: Monitoring and Evaluation for Gender Programs

• Gender-responsive indicators
• Data collection tools for women-focused programs
• Measuring empowerment outcomes
• Reporting gender-disaggregated results
• Using M&E data for strategy improvement
• Case Study: Impact evaluation shaping gender program redesign

Module 12: Supporting Women Entrepreneurs

• Identifying enterprise needs
• Improving market access for women
• Tailored business development services
• Promoting digital entrepreneurship
• Strengthening value chain participation
• Case Study: Women entrepreneurs scaling through microfinance support

Module 13: Inclusive Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

• National policies promoting financial inclusion for women
• Regulatory barriers affecting women’s finance access
• Consumer protection for women
• Role of regulators in enabling innovation
• Policy incentives for women’s financial services
• Case Study: Policy shifts improving women’s financial inclusion

Module 14: Data Analytics for Gender-Focused Microfinance

• Gender-disaggregated data collection
• Analytics for understanding women’s needs
• Risk and performance dashboards
• Impact tracking and visualization
• Predictive analytics for women borrowers
• Case Study: Data-driven insights shaping women-centric lending

Module 15: Building Sustainable Women-Centric Lending Programs

• Long-term inclusion strategy design
• Partnerships with community organizations
• Funding options for women-focused programs
• Creating scalable and replicable models
• Ensuring sustainability and resilience
• Case Study: Long-term sustainability of women’s microfinance ecosystems

Training Methodology

• Instructor-led presentations and practical demonstrations
• Group discussions and peer learning
• Case study analysis from global gender programs
• Hands-on exercises and role-play simulations
• Digital tools exploration for inclusive finance
• Continuous feedback through interactive sessions

Register as a group from 3 participants for a Discount

Send us an email: info@datastatresearch.org or call +254724527104 

Certification

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be issued with a globally- recognized certificate.

Tailor-Made Course

 We also offer tailor-made courses based on your needs.

Key Notes

a. The participant must be conversant with English.

b. Upon completion of training the participant will be issued with an Authorized Training Certificate

c. Course duration is flexible and the contents can be modified to fit any number of days.

d. The course fee includes facilitation training materials, 2 coffee breaks, buffet lunch and A Certificate upon successful completion of Training.

e. One-year post-training support Consultation and Coaching provided after the course.

f. Payment should be done at least a week before commence of the training, to DATASTAT CONSULTANCY LTD account, as indicated in the invoice so as to enable us prepare better for you.