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Are Women More Credit-Constrained than Men?: Evidence from a Rising Credit Market

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  • Nataliya Barasinska
  • Dorothea Schäfer

Abstract

This study investigates whether gender discrimination is taking place in an innovative credit market known as peer-to-peer lending. Based on the data of the largest German peer-to-peer lending platform, we observe that female borrowers pay on average higher interest rates than males despite the fact that the two gender groups do not differ with respect to their credit risk. Our analysis shows however that this interest rate gap doesn't emerge because of discrimination against female borrowers. In all probability, female borrowers deliberately offer higher interest rates in anticipation that they would be otherwise discriminated.

Suggested Citation

  • Nataliya Barasinska & Dorothea Schäfer, 2010. "Are Women More Credit-Constrained than Men?: Evidence from a Rising Credit Market," Working Paper / FINESS 6.3, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    • Handle: RePEc:diw:diwfin:diwfin6.3
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudia Piras & Andrea Filippo Presbitero & Roberta Rabellotti, 2013. "Definitions Matter: Measuring Gender Gaps in Firms' Access to Credit," Mo.Fi.R. Working Papers 90, Money and Finance Research group (Mo.Fi.R.) - Univ. Politecnica Marche - Dept. Economic and Social Sciences.
    2. Jin, Ming & Yin, Mingmei & Chen, Zhongfei, 2021. "Do investors prefer borrowers from high level of trust cities? Evidence from China’s P2P market," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 58(C).
    3. José Garcia Montalvo & Marta Reynal-Querol, 2019. "Gender and credit risk: a view from the loan officer's desk," Economics Working Papers 1644, Department of Economics and Business, Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
    4. Qizhi Tao & Yizhe Dong & Ziming Lin, 0. "Who can get money? Evidence from the Chinese peer-to-peer lending platform," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 0, pages 1-17.
    5. José García-Montalvo & Marta Reynal-Querol, 2019. "Gender and Credit Risk: A View From the Loan Officer’s Desk," Working Papers 1076, Barcelona School of Economics.
    6. Qizhi Tao & Yizhe Dong & Ziming Lin, 2017. "Who can get money? Evidence from the Chinese peer-to-peer lending platform," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 19(3), pages 425-441, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    gender; financial constraints; peer-to-peer lending;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G21 - Financial Economics - - Financial Institutions and Services - - - Banks; Other Depository Institutions; Micro Finance Institutions; Mortgages
    • J16 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics - - - Economics of Gender; Non-labor Discrimination

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