You’ve probably heard of the gender pay gap. But have you heard of the gender investment gap?
In 2024, the UK alone had a £567 billion investment gap according to Boring Money. Women typically retire with around 30-40% less in their pension pots than men. That’s influenced by lower lifetime earnings, career breaks and less investing overall. Oh, and women live longer on average.
It’s a depressing stat, but more than anything, it’s a wake-up call. Because once you see the problem, you can start doing something about it.
Why the gap exists
Women are behind in almost every area of personal finance: income, literacy, and investing. And those first two absolutely feed into the third.
Here’s a simple way to picture it.
The £100 analogy
Imagine two friends: one man and one woman. You hand them each £100.
Before anything else, you take £20 away from the woman because she earns roughly 20% less on average.
Then take another £30 because she’s more aggressively targeted by beauty, fashion and lifestyle marketing – an industry that directs the majority of its spend toward women, who account for 85% of global consumer spending.
Maybe the man spends £10 on the same kind of stuff, but nowhere near as much pressure hits his bank account.
She’s left with £50. He’s left with £90.
Now tell them both they should be investing.
It’s clear who has more disposable income, who feels safer taking risks, and who is more likely to build wealth over time. The woman approaches investing from a scarcity mindset because she’s spent years stretching her money across essentials. He approaches it with breathing room.
This is how the gender investment gap grows… quietly, and fast.
“I can’t afford to invest’
We hear this a lot – especially from self-employed people avoiding their pension. And it makes sense: when your budget feels tight, investing feels out of reach.
But you don’t wait for leftover money to invest – you create it. We call this Excess. Even £20–£50 a month can make a difference, but you need breathing room first. That means building your emergency fund, reducing fixed expenses, squeezing your budget where it makes sense, and increasing your income where possible.
That little bit of excess is what unlocks your investing journey.
Start small, stay consistent. It’s progress, not perfection.
Closing the gap starts with you
There has never been more investment content, more apps, or more ways to get started. But before investing comes the foundations.
You need to get your financial life in order first, not perfectly, just enough to build confidence and momentum.
Here are five steps to get started.
1. Know your numbers
If you don’t know your numbers, you can’t be in control. What comes in, what goes out, what you own, what you owe… knowing these basics gives you power.
Log it in the Financielle app, on a spreadsheet, or even on paper. It doesn’t need to be perfect, this is about getting clarity. Awareness is step one.
2. Take control of your income
Whether you’re employed or self-employed, benchmark your salary or day rate. Are you being paid fairly? Is it time for a progression chat? A move? A pivot?
More income means more freedom. And freedom is what allows you to invest consistently without panic.
3. Spend mindfully
You don’t need to live on beans on toast or cancel every subscription. We’re not about shame or restriction.
But you do need to get real about your habits. Are the things you buy making your life better? Or leaving you stressed and skint? Cut the stuff that doesn’t serve you. Keep the stuff that does. That alone can free up room for investing.
4. Make a plan
You’d never say “I want to get fit” and expect it to happen without a routine. Money works the same way.
A plan gives you structure. It helps you stay focused. It gives you the confidence to move from surviving to investing. The people who succeed with money are the ones who follow a plan, even if it’s imperfect.
5. Take action
The biggest risk is doing nothing. Even a small step counts.
Once you get the basics sorted, investing becomes far less scary and far more achievable. And when more women invest, the gender investment gap starts to shrink – for all of us.
If you want to invest but don’t know where to start, this Investing Lock-In guide is for you.
