Here's a number that should make you angry: £678 billion. That's the size of the gender investment gap in the UK. It represents the wealth that women are missing out on simply because we’re not investing enough… because the financial system wasn't built with women in mind.
Women hold just 29% of all invested assets in this country, despite consistently outperforming men when we do invest. The irony is staggering. We're better at it, but we're not doing it. Why?
Let's be clear: this isn't about women being "too cautious" or "risk-averse" — lazy stereotypes that the financial industry loves to throw around. At Barclays, 55% of customers with savings balances over £20,000 are women. We have the money. Yet only 31% of people signing up to their investment platform are female. The problem isn't our bank accounts — it's that the system doesn't encourage us to participate.
Walk into most traditional wealth management firms or try to navigate investment platforms, and you're immediately confronted with an impenetrable wall of jargon. Over 63% of women report feeling intimidated by financial jargon, and 55% feel overwhelmed by financial decision-making. This isn't coincidence — it's the result of an industry built by and for people who already understood the game or those who don't have to overcome the same hurdles women face.
39.6% of women cite lack of knowledge as the biggest barrier to investment, but this isn't about intelligence. When only 27% of women believe they have enough information to invest, we're looking at a systemic failure to make financial knowledge accessible. The industry has historically used complexity as gatekeeping — jargon as a weapon of exclusion, designed to make you feel like you need a finance degree to participate.
Only one in three women feel confident about investing, compared to nearly half of men. But here's the kicker…when women do invest, we consistently outperform our male counterparts. We're more disciplined, trade less frequently, and make more thoughtful long-term decisions.
So why don't we feel confident? Because we've been systematically told we shouldn't be. 71% of women understand that investing builds generational wealth, but only 14% feel confident in their investing knowledge. That gap? It's manufactured insecurity from an industry that spent decades undermining women's financial confidence and only granted us independent access to financial products 50 years ago!
The evidence is stark: women with male financial advisors are more risk-averse, feel less knowledgeable, and invest 11 percentage points less than women with female advisors. When even the professionals can't treat us as equals, is it any wonder we doubt ourselves?
The fintech revolution has transformed banking and shopping, but investment platforms still largely reflect the unconscious biases of their creators. Most were designed by men, for men, with little consideration for how women might interact differently with financial tools.
Only 10% of women have stocks and shares ISAs, compared to 17% of men. ISAs are supposed to be one of the most accessible investment vehicles available, yet even they're failing to reach women equally. When the "simple" options don't work for half the population, we have to question the design.
Money conversations remain taboo across our society, particularly around women building independent wealth. Meanwhile, young men are more than twice as likely to invest as young women. These patterns start early and compound over time.
The consequences are severe. Women are retiring with 39% less in their pension pot than men on average, whilst typically living 3-4 years longer, requiring more money to last through retirement.
The tide is turning. More women are investing than ever before, and the younger generation is leading the charge. But here's the really big picture: women will control 60% of all wealth in the UK by the end of 2025. Globally, we're on track to control nearly half of all assets by 2030.
“Climate justice and gender equality are intertwined; one cannot be achieved without the other.”
This is a seismic shift that exposes how ridiculous the current system is. When the majority of wealth is in women's hands, continuing to exclude us isn't just morally wrong, it's economically stupid.
But we can't wait for the system to fix itself. That's why I built Propelle, the UK's first female-focused investment platform. After years at Goldman Sachs watching brilliant women be excluded from wealth-building opportunities, I knew I needed to start from scratch.
The government and regulators are finally paying attention too. Just a few weeks ago, Propelle and I were name-checked in Parliament by Samantha Niblett MP, who highlighted the need to "bring more wealth to more people" by backing fintechs, like Propelle, that are breaking new ground in retail investing. Emma Reynolds, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, responded that "the government is determined to ensure these companies get the capital and licences they need - quickly. So they can scale, reach more people and deliver innovation to consumers across the country."
We put the experiences of women at the heart of Propelle. We use plain English instead of jargon. We design for beginners and experts alike, recognising that someone investing £50 a month deserves the same quality experience as someone investing £50,000. Most importantly, Propelle is built by women, for women, proving that when you design financial tools with our needs in mind from the ground up, everything changes.
For me, this £678 billion robbery was a call to action. The financial industry has had decades to include us. Now it's time for us to build something better.
Ayesha is a former wealth manager from Goldman Sachs, where she personally managed over £500m of client assets. She's now founder and CEO of Propelle, empowering women to invest with more confidence, with greater ease, and to build long-term wealth.
