Credit-based welfare? Women and men's use and justifications of consumer credit and private loans in times of financial scarcity

The prevalence of borrowing among women and men in financial scarcity has increased drastically over the past 40 years. In policy and previous research, this development is often explained through individual perspectives. Empirical knowledge on how structural conditions, such as access to public welfare systems, impact borrowing behaviors among women and men remains scarce. This project addresses this knowledge gap by examining women’s and men’s use of consumer credit and private loans, and descriptions of the role loans plays in their everyday financial arrangements. Through a survey and interviews, the attitudes and narratives about borrowing that emerge among women and men are examined, and how they relate to access to public security systems.

The project contributes with knowledge imperative for developing policies and measures that address the development of indebtedness for women and men in financial scarcity in an accurate manner.

Project objective

The overall aim of the project is to examine how changing relations between the welfare state and the individual and unequal economic conditions between the sexes are expressed and managed in women's and men's everyday borrowing, by examining women's and men's use of consumer credit and private loans and descriptions of the role consumer credit and private loans play in their ability to maintain daily life and consumption in times of tight finances. In this way, the project wants to strengthen the possibilities of preventing and counteracting debt problems among economically vulnerable groups.