Access to finance is essential for firm growth, but women-led businesses often face significant demand-side and supply-side barriers to access. This column presents an analysis of World Bank Enterprise Survey data from 61 countries. While women-managed firms are equally likely to apply for and receive credit as their counterparts managed by men, they receive lower amounts of credit. This disparity is not due to differences in risk profiles, profitability, or productivity. Women-led firms show a