ANALYZING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN GENDER WITH ISLAMIC FINANCE FAMILIARITY AND EDUCATION

• Main Author: Azra Rosadi, Anandita
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/77348
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Indonesia, with the majority of Muslim population, is found to have great interest in the Islamic finance. With the huge population, Indonesia’s financial services offer the market with Sharia financial services or Islamic banking and its institutions. With Indonesia projected to experience optimistic economic growth, the role of Islamic finance in promoting financial stability and economic expansion becomes crucial. Contributions from equal gender, as a social construct, are also seen to have a positive impact on the growth. The global growth rate of Islamic finance had peaked in 2010, competing with conventional finance. However, despite its rapid growth, the competition and knowledge in Islamic finance remain relatively less competitive than conventional finance. This study aims to investigate the relationship between gender and familiarity with Islamic finance, as well as gender and Islamic finance education in Indonesia. Hypotheses relating to the research question and objective are constructed. For financial institutions and service providers, these objectives can create development opportunities to provide targeted services to the gender group. This study uses a quantitative methodology approach to investigate the connection between gender and familiarity about and education about Islamic finance. Through the use of a questionnaire, data was gathered, and data analyses were used to look into the relationships. The purpose of the study was to determine the degree to which gender and Islamic financial familiarity and education are related. Further in the study, it discussed the result of the analysis for gender with Islamic finance familiarity and gender and Islamic finance education. On the size of the sample is 70, with a good distribution of female and male respondents, they are mostly familiar with the concept of Islamic finance but the percentage of respondents who have not received any education about Islamic finance is higher. The correlation between the variables are tested to examine the validity and reliability of the items subjected in this research. Variables are then tested by their chi-square independence test and shown to have valid data to the test, covering all the assumptions. The result of the chi-square test is analyzed. The study found that there were no significant relationships between the tested variables. Findings to this study provide some intriguing insights. The relationship between gender and familiarity with Islamic finance was found to be statistically inconsequential. These results imply that the study participants' knowledge of Islamic financing may not be significantly influenced by their gender. Conversely, the study found there was no statistically significant relationship between gender and Islamic finance education. This has indicated that the overall items of variable used in this study as the measurement of indicators are not effectively and adequately assess its intended construct. Limitations and recommendations are discussed. Limitations are recognized and acknowledged and therefore recommendations are made to provide better constructs for future research. Such limitations present are the sample size, scale, measurements, and data source. Recommendations for further areas of research are to involve relative factors, well-planned research design and data collection, and use of qualitative approach to complement quantitative approach. The study's implications are important for both researchers and practitioners in the Islamic finance sector. Managers should create specialized financial education programs and run gender-neutral awareness efforts. For appropriate assessment, future study should enhance measurement scales. Theoretical contributions to the field of Islamic finance include examining gender-related elements of financial knowledge and emphasizing the value of Islamic finance education in advancing financial literacy among Muslims. A fuller comprehension of gender dynamics and financial awareness in global Islamic finance is made possible by the study's potential for comparative research in other nations with sizable Muslim populations.