Women's Financial Literacy Across Eastern Europe

About This Study

Over 14 months and 170 hours of dedicated research, this study set out to answer a set of questions that had been answered piecemeal — country by country — but rarely systematically across borders: how does financial literacy actually differ for women across Eastern Europe, and what does that variation mean for the choices they make every day?

The research combined a secondary literature review, a cross-country quantitative survey designed for genuine comparability across translation and cultural context, and qualitative depth to explain why the patterns looked the way they did.

What The Study Examines

The article addresses four interlocking themes:

• Differences between countries — where women's financial literacy sits at the country level, and what shapes those baselines.
• Attitudes toward money — the beliefs and assumptions women carry into financial decisions, and how those attitudes vary across borders.
• Day-to-day financial behaviour — what women actually do with money: saving, budgeting, borrowing, planning.
• Implications for programme design — how the cross-country differences should shape financial education work targeted at women in the region.

Methodology At A Glance

The study used a mixed-method approach to ensure both breadth and depth:

• Secondary literature review mapping the existing evidence base on women's financial literacy in the region.
• Cross-country quantitative survey with careful attention to translation, cultural framing, and comparability across markets.
• Qualitative thematic analysis layered onto the quantitative patterns to explain country-level differences — not just describe them.
• Statistical analysis in SPSS with full methodological transparency.

The brief was open: design the methodology, run the study, synthesise findings into a research article that would hold up to scrutiny.

Why This Research Matters

Cross-country financial literacy work for women in Eastern Europe tends to assume a regional average where there isn't one. The country-level differences this study surfaces — in both literacy levels and the attitudes that drive behaviour — change what programme design should actually look like on the ground. A single curriculum will not serve someone whose context, baseline, and beliefs about money look fundamentally different from her counterpart two borders away.

The findings became reference material for the commissioning client's ongoing programme work in financial education for women — which is the highest bar a research article can clear: it gets used.

Coming Soon

The full article and a downloadable PDF version are being prepared for publication on this page. Check back soon, or follow on LinkedIn to be notified when it goes live.