According to recent data from the Brazilian Treasury, only 25.2% of people who invest in Treasury Direct are currently women. On the stock exchange, the B3, the number is even lower: 11.08%. If the female population is larger than the male population in the country, with almost 52%, why are women still far from the investment market?
The reasons that lead to this discrepancy are not a secret, although they are not yet much discussed. The main one may be the fact that women still have less access to money than men.
Part of this because the earnings of the female public is still lower. According to Catho survey published in March, women’s salaries are 38% lower, occupying exactly the same roles as male colleagues. Women with the same level of education can receive up to 43.5% less – and at all levels of education surveyed, the salaries of male people are higher. Briefly: Those who invest more who have the highest availability of resources.
Another issue is that women took longer to enter the labor market, which makes them more distant from higher positions and salaries, and consequently further away from investments. In addition, for many families the first generations of working women are emerging now.
These women associate wealth with security, and so they’re afraid to risk their money on investments that aren’t profitable. Because of this, they end up studying long before choosing a profitable and long-term option.
Investment managers can attract more women
On the other hand, the absence of women professionals in investment firms can also drive them away, since most managers in the market are men. Perhaps one way to stimulate [female participation] would be to put a more balanced interaction. “Woman offering product to another woman; identification generates loyalty”, highlights investment manager Fayga Czerniakowski Delbem, in an interview with InfoMoney.
She states, however, that there is a positive outlook for increasing female investors and a more balanced market. “In 10 years, the number of women on the stock market went from 16% to more than 20%”, she exemplifies.
“When we look at a number of companies run by women, and realize that they are generating more results and more jobs, it also contributes”, says the CFA, recalling a survey that shows results, including financial ones, for companies with most diverse leadership.
