Title: Behaviour of financial consumers in banking market: a central and eastern European perspective regarding gender gap

Authors: Adriana Grigorescu; Mirela Panait; Valentina Vasile; Maria Palazzo

Addresses: Department of Public Management, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bdul Expozitiei 30A, Sector 1, 012244, Bucharest, Romania; Corresponding Member of Academy of Romanian Scientists, Spl. Independentei, 54, Sector 5, 50085, Bucharest, Romania ' Department of Cybernetics, Economic Informatics, Finance and Accounting, Petroleum – Gas University of Ploiesti, Bulevardul București 39, Ploiești, Romania; Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy, Calea 13 Septembrie 13, Sector 5, 050731, Bucharest, Romania ' Institute of National Economy, Romanian Academy, Calea 13 Septembrie 13, Sector 5, 050731, Bucharest, Romania ' Department of Political and Communication Sciences, University of Salerno, Fisciano, Ital, Via Giovanni Paolo II, 132, 84084 Fisciano SA, Italy

Abstract: The international financial crisis has demonstrated the fragility of the international system, the weak supervision of markets by public authorities and, the precarious position of consumers in the face of large transnational giants that dominate the banking markets. The crisis highlighted the vulnerability of the financial consumers, unethical behaviour of financial institutions, but even so the corporate social responsibility practice seems to be accepted by the banking system. This shows that customers, nowadays, have to pay huge attention in understanding if financial institutions are really following ethical strategies or if they are just interested in promoting themselves using the sustainability as a window dressing approach. The aim of the research is the analysis of individual's adaptation to prolonged crisis situations specific to countries, with a precarious financial education of the population and the gender gap in terms of the degree of financial inclusion for specific indicators.

Keywords: financial consumers; financial inclusion; financial education; gender gap.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEPEE.2023.134793

International Journal of Economic Policy in Emerging Economies, 2023 Vol.18 No.1, pp.82 - 101

Received: 06 Jan 2021
Accepted: 18 Feb 2021
Published online: 13 Nov 2023 *