Negative stereotypes of female investors have been around for a long time. Women are thought to be more cautious and risk-averse compared to their male counterparts, and often assumed to invest later in life and less than men.
But the once male-dominated investment world has been undergoing notable change. Women are disrupting the landscape like never before; narrowing gender gaps in financial literacy while smashing barriers and muscling their way into the world of investing.
Here’s how female investors at Syfe have been tackling these stereotypes and closing the gender investment gap.
“Women are more cautious investors”
Men used to significantly outnumber women in our higher risk equity-heavy portfolios, but this gap is closing.
In 2021, women were just 41% of investors in our all-equities Equity 100 portfolio, but it has risen to half (49.5%) today.
But at the same time, women still outnumber men in our lowest risk Core Defensive portfolio, suggesting that women give greater weight to risk management.
“Women invest less than men”
Research has shown that women invest less than men. In the early days of Syfe this was true—at the end of 2019 just 25% of assets under management (AUM) came from female investors. This rose quickly and from 2021 until today, AUM from female investors has risen significantly to around 41%.
The ratio has been similar until today, with the gap reflecting the fact that men were early adopters of the Syfe platform and had a headstart in deposits.
Plus, when you look at the amounts deposited by men and women, you can see the extent to which women are catching up.
Today, our average female customer’s total deposits are just 4% less than those of the average male customer. The gaps in AUM and total deposits now simply represent the fact that men were early adopters of the Syfe platform.
“Women invest later than men”
Research has previously suggested that women invest later than men, but a study by Janus Henderson debunks this stereotype, revealing that women are starting to invest earlier at an average age of 32, 3 years younger than their male counterparts who start at 35.
At Syfe, we also see a similar trend—our female customers start investing with us at an average age of 33, a year younger than our male customers.
So, is there still a gender investment gap?
Although millennial women are driving change, women in general are still more likely than men to put their money into savings than investments.
Why is this so?
Gender pay gap
The gender pay gap in Singapore was at 14.4% in 2020. This is an improvement on 2018 when the gap was at 16.3%, but the gap remains. This means women just don’t have as much disposable income to invest.
Time
Women have historically spent more time doing unpaid work such as housekeeping and childcare.
This leaves women with less time to educate themselves about investing and putting that information into practice.
Confidence
A study conducted by Investec Wealth across the UK, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore found that 38% of the women surveyed had low financial confidence.
This sentiment is also echoed worldwide, with research by BNY Melon showing that only 1 in 10 women globally felt they fully understood investing, while just 28% of women felt confident about investing their money.
How can we help more women become investors?
Education and access remain key.
As the data from our own customers has shown, the availability of digital investment platforms like Syfe is changing the landscape.
Syfe provides guidance and resources to help people become confident investors, whether they simply want to understand how to get started or want to buy shares in individual companies or funds.
The Syfe platform provides easy access to a range of investment options suitable for novice or experienced investors.
The ease of investing, coupled with the emphasis on education, empowers our customers to build their wealth for a better future.
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