The world has changed exponentially in the last year and a half. Humanity has been tested. Yet sadly we are still here talking about a problem you would have thought we could have solved years ago.
“In the UK there are more funds run by men called Dave than there are funds run by all women.”* That itself is a rather sad fact, however a potentially bigger problem is how few women choose to invest – overall women invest 40% less money than men do and 47% of millennial women consider money the most stressful thing in their lives.**

I think we have to honestly ask ourselves: why? Is it because there is a lack of confidence? Is there a lack of information out there? Does the research that is required before investing take too long? Is there not enough expendable income? Is it considered too risky? Maybe there is just not a real interest in it?
Are any of these questions actually, genuinely related to gender?

As I look through the years of research from KANTAR on “Winning over women” and my notes from events and talks I have sat in on dating back to 2015, I realise nothing new has been discovered and nothing has fundamentally changed.

Brands do their best, or rather, they do what they think is best to communicate in a neutral way. When they do stick their heads above the parapet it doesn’t always feel true or authentic and more often than not, it is patronising which can lead to some appalling backlash.

What can we do to change the dynamic in a real and meaningful way? Personally, I don’t want a female focussed fund and I don’t want to be spoken to in a “different way”. I must admit I do find the whole conversation rather irritating. That said, knowing how I don’t want to be spoken to is all very well and good, but rather unhelpful when it comes to finding a solution.

What I don’t feel clear on is what the core of the problem is? It would be wrong to assume that the problem of 2015 is the same as the problem now. How has the world changing shifted our views and therefore our investment behaviour?

A lot of questions need answering in order for us to help our clients communicate in the most genuine and engaging way.

It is an easy topic to “put on the backburner” – which is exactly how so much research is done yet everything is still the same. We are starting our own journey now, looking at how real change can be made. Keep an eye out as our conversations on women and investing continue.

*https://www.morningstar.co.uk/uk/news/199991/why-dont-women-invest.aspx

** https://www.nbcnews.com/better/business/why-women-invest-40-percent-less-men-how-we-can-ncna912956