India Witnesses Steep Increase in Bank Accounts Operated by Women

By: WE STAFF | Monday, 14 December 2020

According to a research data from the 5th National Family Health Survey (2019-20) exhibits that the number of bank accounts that women not solely maintain but also operate themselves, has increased dramatically over the previous five years.

The data states that in 10 states and union territories (UT), 80-90 percent of women account holders run their accounts themselves. Even in Nagaland, which is at the bottom of the list of 22 states and UTs covered by the NFHS, 63.7 percent of women account holders operate their accounts. The survey covers women aged 15-49 years across 17 states and five UTs and provides estimates on 131 key indicators.

The change since NFHS-4 in 2015-16 is significant. In Bihar, for instance, the number of women operating their bank accounts rose from 26.4 percent to 76.7 percent. In Karnataka, from 59.4 percent to 88.7 percent. In Assam, from 45.4 percent to 78.5 percent, and in Gujarat from 48.6 percent to 70 percent.

Women now make up a significant number of mobile phone users. The share of women phone users ranges from 91.2 percent in Goa, down to just under 50 percent in Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. In Sikkim, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Nagaland, Mizoram, Ladakh and A&N Islands, 80-89 percent of the women surveyed are mobile users.

When it comes to property ownership, the results are a mixed bag with the percentage of women property owners rising sharply in Karnataka between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, but also falling in Assam and Bihar.

Property ownership data in the latest NFHS reflects a wide variation across states and UTs. In terms of women owning a house or land alone or jointly, Ladakh is at the top of the list with 72.2 percent women, followed by Karnataka (67.6 percent), Telangana (66.6 percent) and Meghalaya (65 percent). In Manipur, Jammu & Kashmir, Dadra, Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, Bihar and Sikkim, 53-58.4 percent of women own property.

The percentage of women property owners increased from 51.8 percent to 67.6 percent in Karnataka, from 50.3 percent to 66.6 percent in Telangana, and from 27.2 percent to 42.6 percent in Gujarat. But in Tripura it crashed from 57.3 percent to just 17.2 percent. In Assam also, the percentage of women property owners is down from 52.3 percent to 42.7 percent, while in Bihar it has dipped slightly from 58.8 percent to 55.3 percent.

The share of women property owners dwindles to less than a third in Kerala (27.3 percent), Nagaland (26.9 percent), West Bengal (23.2 percent), Goa (23.2 percent), Himachal Pradesh (23.1 percent), Maharashtra (22.9 percent), Mizoram (20.8 percent), Tripura (17.2 percent) and A&N Islands at the bottom (15.8 percent).