While it’s been around for more than 40 years, the rallying cry “The Future Is Female” is breathing new life into gender-equality movements around the world, as women gain greater political power,
social sovereignty, and economic agency. This last current of change, which has yet to grab the spotlight
in the same way as other transformations, may soon take center stage. With women’s control of investible wealth on the rise, possibly reaching $72 trillion dollars worldwide by 20201 , the ramifications are clear: Women’s influence as investors in global financial markets—and, by extension, national economies—has grown substantially, and will continue to do so. In this light, it’s critically important to consider the approach women take to their finances and the issues they care most about.
S&P Global’s research involved the polling of women and men in the 11 countries with the largest stock markets to gauge aspects of financial preparedness, investment behaviors, and financial market sentiment. Women’s preparedness and participation in each of those markets varies, and this collaborative effort is an attempt at revealing interesting insights about cultural and economic factors representing women’s realities. However, one thing is clear: Whatever comes next comes down to women.
When it comes to ESG issues, women are more likely than men to weigh a company’s environmental and social impact when making investment or purchasing decisions. The survey results, when viewed through a global prism, show a stark contrast between genders on a variety of issues. These differences cast light on the ways in which women often feel less financially secure and less optimistic about their economic futures. Paradoxically, women feel a greater sense of conviction when it comes to betting on themselves and using their economic strength to exercise their values.
Understanding these differences, and their causes, can help countries, companies, and individuals take practical
steps toward the sort of inclusive economic growth that will benefit everyone. Women are generally more likely than men to weigh a company’s environmental and social impact when making an investment decision or buying a product. In every country but one, these considerations were even more of a factor when it came to investment decisions. With women holding, by some estimates as much as 40%2 of the world’s total wealth, it seems clear that fund and asset managers’ increasing focus on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues is here to stay.
A surprisingly large percentage of women in almost all countries said that if they found themselves without work, they would only be able to sustain their current standard of living for a short time. In 10 of the countries we surveyed, anywhere from 32% to 45% of women said they would have to make some lifestyle
adjustments within one month (if not immediately) if they were suddenly unemployed or unable to work—the lone
exception being China, where 16% of women said they would have to do so. In every case but one, the percentages were significantly higher among women. (In Japan, an equal one- third of respondents said they would be unable to afford their current lifestyle.)
Moreover, generally higher shares of women said they were in just “fair” or “poor” financial shape, and similar (though somewhat less striking) figures can be seen in the results concerning retirement planning—with more women saying they feel behind where they would like to be.
Overall, trust and confidence in financial institutions and stock markets are high amongst the population in India, with approximately 80% of both women and men finding them to be partially credible source of information.
– Economic confidence is reflected across gender, with 92% of women and 88% of men rating their current financial situation as “excellent“ or “fair”–significantly more than the global average of 79%.
– While both men and women expressed concern about their financial future, women were slightly less worried, with 83% expressing concern compared to 87% of men.
In India, setting to become the world’s most populous country—and its ratio of elderly citizens on track to double by 20507—sustaining current lifestyles will require a vibrant, sustainable labour market and wage growth that would enable more provisioning for education and healthcare. This is reflected in the policy priorities of both men and women in India, who ranked both jobs and the economy as their most worrying issues of concern (25%), closely followed by education (24%) and health care (21%).
There is a paradox however. The optimism and investment confidence are high, but men and women are continuation is contingent on income security, which, in turn, is far from assured. Small wonder then, that 32% of the respondents believe their financial well-being depends on events mostly outside their control, such as economic development, the stock market, or an unexpected illness.
