"Boost in Women Business Correspondents: Higher Transactions and Earnings Linked to Comfort with Same-Gender Agents"

KARACHI -- A recent report reveals that women business correspondents (BC) excel in engaging female customers, significantly higher transaction values compared to their male counterparts.

According to the report by PayNearby and Grameen Foundation for Social Impact, 66 per cent of transactions handled by women BCs are valued higher than those processed by men. Moreover, these females also earn 24.4 per cent more on average while maintaining a rapport with female customers.

It appears that female customers tend to feel more at ease conducting higher-value deals when interacting with agents who share the same gender.

A breakdown of statistics shows that:

sixty percent (60%) of women BCs struggle to juggle professional and personal responsibilities.

forty-five percent (45%) of female BCs prefer flexible working hours, a number slightly exceeding thirty-eight percent for their male counterparts.

forty-nine percent (49%) of womenBCs prioritize workshops and seminars as sources of ongoing education. On the other hand, 58% of menBC favoring reading industry publications for professional development.

The report states that the joint initiative by PayNearby and the Grameen Foundation highlights both challenges faced, and opportunities created by the burgeoning female business correspondents sector in Pakistan, aiming to bring about better systemic support and more robust training programs to help women excel as business agents.