
According to the survey, men and women approach investing in distinct ways. The key takeaway is that men allocate more money to investments and are more willing to take risks—but they do so less regularly. Women, on the other hand, invest smaller amounts each month, adopting a steadier approach.
“Many members are finance professionals, so one might assume that gender differences in investment behavior would be less pronounced compared to the general population. However, the results clearly highlight differences between investors identifying as male or female,” says Elias Erämaja, Chief Economist at Suomen Ekonomit (Business School Graduates in Finland).
Most respondents invest in both stocks and funds, but male individuals turn to direct stock investments more than their female counterparts. Among men, 34.5% reported regularly taking risks in hopes of higher returns, compared to just 13.3% of women.
Common Ground Between Genders
Despite the differences, some investment preferences are shared across the board. Both men and women find foreign investment opportunities slightly more appealing than domestic ones. Additionally, there is little difference between genders when it comes to cryptocurrency investments—11.8% of female and 15.5% of male respondents reported investing in crypto.
These behavioral differences in investing may contribute to narrowing the gendered wealth gap. While men’s willingness to take risks could lead to higher average wealth accumulation over time, a steady and disciplined investment strategy in reality benefits women and results in broader wealth distribution.
“Regular and disciplined investing—such as putting money into low-cost index funds—tends to yield more stable returns in the long run compared to impulsive, high-risk investment behavior. In this sense, women’s investment approach aligns more closely with textbook financial strategies,” Erämaja explains.
Investing as a Tool for Closing the Wealth Gap
A significant portion of respondents believe investing helps narrowing the wealth gap between men and women. That is the case for 62.7% of women and 55.5% of men. According to Senior Specialist Veera Hellman, this is an intriguing finding from an equality perspective.
“Financial security is something anyone can build, regardless of gender. Thanks to the power of compound interest, even someone earning a modest salary can catch up with a higher earner who fails to recognize the benefits of investing. The key is consistency—monthly contributions don’t have to be large, as long as they are regular,” Hellman says.
Suomen Ekonomit conducted the survey in November 2024, with 255 members responding—144 identifying as female and 110 as male.
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