Home / Markets / The big difference between millennial women and men investors

It's a well-known fact, women investors outperform their male counterparts and have been doing so for quite some time. New research from investment app, Pearler, has once again confirmed this admission: women have outpaced men in share investing despite wage disparity.

It’s a well-known fact, women investors outperform their male counterparts and have been doing so for quite some time. On average they’ve been outperforming males by 40 basis points or 0.40 percent, that’s according to the Fidelity 2021 Women and Investing Study.

New research from investment app, Pearler, has once again confirmed this admission, women have outpaced men in share investing despite wage disparity. Nick Nicolaides, Co-Founder of Pearler, said “Despite a momentous difference in wages, similarities are common when it comes to share investing behaviour. Our recent research shows that both women and men hold an average 2.5 assets, invest once a month, and allocate about 70 per cent of their portfolio to ETFs.”

Here are some of the findings from the research paper:

• Millennial women are picking up shares investing at the same rate as men. This is despite having to overcome a 36% wage gap based on the earnings data for its 50,000+ accounts.
• Pearler reports that both women and men are holding an average 2.5 assets, investing once a month and allocating ~70% of their portfolio to ETFs.
• Women are investing in ESG ETFs at a rate of greater than 2x that of their male counterparts.
• Pearler says 53% of our account holders are women. Of those, 50% are the age of 26-35, and 30% are 18-25.
• Women investing on average 12% of their post-tax income. This is slightly higher than its male investors, who invest 10% of their relatively higher incomes.
• Women are investing, on average, 12 per cent of their post-tax income. This is slightly higher than its male investors, who invest 10 per cent of their relatively higher incomes.

“We’ve seen financial independence blow up as a theme for young people, particularly women, who are becoming more proactive in dealing with historical hurdles like lower wages, minimum cheque sizes, access to education and support,” adds Ana Kresina, Head of Product at Pearler.

“Alongside allocating a higher portion of their already reduced income to investing, what is also interesting is the product choice difference between men and women. What stands out, also, is that women are investing in ESG ETFs at a rate greater than double that of their male counterparts. What we are hearing and then seeing in the data is that younger investors, especially women, want to make more ethical investment choices when considering their future – it’s something investors feel very strongly about,” she said.

The research also found that sustainability was a big factor when it came to investing with women. Women tend to think about the future of their children and select companies that are sustainable. Ana Kresina, Head of Product at Pearler said, “What we are hearing and then seeing in the data is that younger investors, especially women, want to make more ethical investment choices when considering their future – it’s something certain investors feel very strongly about.”

Kelly Foreman, an investor at Pearler said, “To me, that is supporting those making a positive impact in ways such as socially, climate and sustainability leaders, companies with greater representation of women in senior leadership roles and on boards, clean technology and corporate governance.”

Nicolaides concludes by adding, “As we continue to grow the business and team, we know we need to remain inclusive through our product, services and marketing. If we build the right culture, the product and our investors will benefit. That’s why we share our community data publicly.”