Abstract
This study examines how bank concentration affects female economic inclusion in 80 developing countries for the period of 2000 to 2020. The study employs fixed effects regressions and generalized method of moments (GMM) estimation techniques as empirical strategies. Women's economic empowerment is diminished by bank concentration potentially due to reduced financial access. Compared to bank concentration with regard to the total assets owned by the three largest banks, bank concentration in terms of the total assets held by the five largest banks is linked to a larger negative magnitude. Policy implications are discussed in terms of increasing competition in the banking sector.