Gender and Use of Digital Banking Products In Cameroon: Is There A Gap?

The development of new technologies is putting more pressure on banks to offer digital solutions to their customers. This issue is even more significant in developing countries where digital investments are growing. In this study, we examine whether the gender digital divide persists in emerging banking environments such as Cameroon, where the digitalization of services is becoming a focal point of marketing strategy. We analyze the gender gap in the influence of perceived ease of use, social influence, perceived security, and perceived trust on the use of digital banking products, as well as the influence of this use on bank notoriety. The partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) method is used to test a sample of 347 bank customers, including 221 men and 126 women. The results show that the positive influence of perceived ease of use and social influence on the use of digital banking products is more vital for women than men. Further, the influence of perceived trust is more significant for men than women. There is no gender gap in the influence of perceived security, as well as the impact of the use of digital banking products on bank notoriety. The results also show that women are more open to adopting digital banking products (R2=49.5%) than men (R2=43%).