Are women better investors than men?
Here’s what 130 women told us
Written by Boring Money
28 July, 1970
Only 1 in 8 women believe they're better investors than men, according to our survey of 130 women. Yet nearly half described their own approach the same terms: more patient, more research-led, and less driven by the ego or adrenaline they associate with men "gambling" on stocks. The real gap, they said, isn't ability - it's confidence. Many admitted they still leave investing "to the husband" simply because they don't feel financially confident enough to take charge.
We ran a survey asking our women panelists five questions about how they invest: when they started, their goals, their appetite for risk, what they hold, and whether they think women make better investors than men. Every answer below is in their own words.
1. Are women better investors than men?
There’s no simple yes or no. In our survey, the most common response was “it depends on the individual.” Yet, a pattern ran underneath every answer: women consistently describe themselves as calmer, more patient and more considered with money.
The question as to whether women are better investors than men, while seemingly sounding light-hearted, is actually quite complex, as evidenced by the array of answers we saw in our survey.
Interestingly, some of our clients working in the investment industry have mentioned to me that they think women can make better investors, being predisposed to being more patient, with a holistic and serious savings mindset that can set them up well for long-term success. But the same cautiousness that can make them better investors once they have gained confidence, can all too often prevent women from investing in the first place.
Only 26% of women in the UK have an investment product, vs. 41% of men, with fear of losing money and misperceptions about investment risk putting off far too many women from getting started. They’re also more likely than men to not know where to start. Talking women’s language, while clearly articulating the benefits of investing and explaining risk and reward in a balanced way is key to attracting women into investing.
The desire to learn, gain confidence and make their money work harder is certainly there, and both women and men can grow their money sustainably through investing. It’s up to firms to draw more women in to begin with.
Why did women answer “yes”?
For the roughly 1 in 8 who answered with a clear “yes,” the reasons were remarkably consistent - that women are more patient, better at learning from mistakes, are focused more on diversification
and resist the urge to tinker.Yes, I think women WHO INVEST get better results than men because of superior behaviour rather (less churn, longer term outlook, greater patience, and higher focus on diversification).
Yes. They are probably better at learning from their mistakes. They take their time. They take fewer risks and are more thoughtful. Think longer term.
Yes, women who understand that you should spread the risk, and be prepared to take moderate risks are better than men who are more likely to invest in individual shares.
2. How do women describe the way they invest?
Women overwhelmingly describe themselves as long-term, buy-and-hold investors who research before they act. The words that came up repeatedly were “patient,” “cautious,” “considered,” “research” and “not panicking”.
In their own words:
I think we are quieter investors, more considered/researched, and possibly simpler in the way we invest. I know many men who think they are Warren Buffett, when really they are just Gamblers thinking they are making a quick buck
I think we are more cautious and spare time to put into the riskier side of investing or trading is hard to come by. So I suspect we take less risks but have more certainty. Short term the boys probably win but I like to think that we will win the race at the end of the day
BORING MONEY ANALYSIS — insert quote here
3. Do women invest differently to men?
Many respondents felt the difference is behavioural, not ability. The recurring theme was that men are quicker to trade, chase tips and seek “action,” while women are more likely to hold their nerve through market dips and take a longer view.
Less likely to want unrealistic returns, more patient and less likely to panic through the downturns, so yes.
I think women are more considered and spend more time researching and weighing things up before they invest. Men are more likely to invest based on a hunch, or a tip from a friend!
Others pushed back on the whole premise, arguing it comes down to the individual, not gender:
That really depends on the person. Women with knowledge and time to research can invest just as well as men. It comes down to the knowledge and ability to put in the time and effort to manage your portfolio. Nothing to do with sex.
4. When and how do women get into investing?
There’s no single moment. Some common triggers were acquiring a lump sum (redundancy, inheritance, a pension pot), a life stage (approaching retirement, having children), or a nudge from someone, often a father, a colleague or a workplace talk.
A few started with almost nothing and built up over decades. Others are only now taking control of pensions they’d left untouched for years.
5. What are women investing for?
Retirement dominates. The overwhelming majority framed their goals around a comfortable retirement, beating inflation, and financial security or independence. Many also mentioned providing for children and grandchildren, and a smaller group talked about financial freedom, the ability to work, or not, on their own terms.
6. What do women invest in?
ISAs, funds and trackers lead the way. The most common holdings were Stocks & Shares ISAs, index funds
and global trackers, ETFs and individual shares, followed by SIPPs and Investment Trusts. A handful mentioned property, and a small number held a little crypto or gold. Robo-investing and managed portfolios featured for those who preferred a hands-off approach.7. How much risk are women willing to take?
More than the stereotype suggests. While “cautious” was the word women reached for to describe their gender in general, their own risk appetites skewed confident. Most placed themselves at medium or moderate risk, and a large minority described themselves as high-risk or adventurous. Several also described the opposite of the stereotype in their own homes:
In my household yes, I can see the end goal and willing to take risk to get it, the man in our house is far too cautious and would rather invest with an element of guarantee
8. Why don’t more women invest?
Confidence and access, not ability. This was the quietest but most consistent theme in the survey. Again and again, women pointed to a lack of confidence, a lack of financial education and a habit of “leaving it to the husband”, while stressing that this is changing.
Women tend to have lower confidence than men so they probably believe they are worse investors than men - however, if investing and risk were better understood by women I think they would on average be better investors than men.
I think they are the same, some people are more knowledgeable and therefore feel more confident. Each individual has their own internal risk level I don't think thats a specific gender trait though. Perhaps culturally we have expectations that men are 'bread winners' and handle finances, and women are 'homemakers' this cultural generalisation has stuck despite the fact most women now work and many earn above their partners.
No. In my generation woman are often happy to accept it's for men to provide. I hope it's changing.
…if married then the majority of husbands unfortunately look after the finances.
BORING MONEY ANALYSIS — insert quote here
So, are women better investors than men?
Ask women whether they’re better investors than men and most will demur. But how they describe their own approach - patient, researched, diversified, unbothered by the need to look clever- and you’re hearing a textbook description of what actually tends to build wealth over time. The bigger issue isn’t whether women can invest well. It’s that too many still don’t start.
BORING MONEY ANALYSIS —
Suggested angle: a punchy, quotable sign-off that reframes “cautious” as “sensible,” and encourages women reading to back themselves.
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Survey base: 130 women responded; 128 answered the “are women better investors?” question. Open-text (verbatim). Proportions are indicative — drawn from open-text answers, not fixed-choice — so they describe the shape of opinion, not precise percentages. All verbatims are first-party, reproduced unedited and anonymised, attributed by respondent age; MRS Code and UK GDPR compliant.
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