Blog

We need to address gender inequalities for women and investing. Here’s how to get started

Crystal Kelly knows first-hand just how hard women have to work to surmount gender inequalities in investing and financial matters. The Certified Financial Planner and Chartered Financial Divorce Specialist candidate not only assists her clients in overcoming barriers to financial stability, she has also overcome her own, including “one of the most impactful barriers” – the lack of government spending on women’s health care. 

“I was diagnosed with endometriosis after three years of advocating for myself and being told ‘it’s in your head’,” Kelly says. “The lack of training and resources allocated to this very painful condition that one in 10 women suffer from has a tremendous impact on women’s ability to show up for, and stay, at work.” 

According to McKinsey research, better health for women is correlated with economic prosperity. But it’s certainly not the only issue at play when it comes to women and investing.

Financial inequalities are wide-ranging

According to Stats Canada, women in Canada experience a 12% pay gap, thanks in part to a concentration in lower-wage occupations. Women represent only 30% of those in senior management positions, and 35% in other management positions. “The motherhood penalty, too, has a massively negative impact on women’s ability to create financial security and wealth,” Kelly says.

But realistically, women face financial barriers and inequalities in all areas including earning, spending, saving, borrowing and financial planning, Kelly adds. And these inequalities start early in life. 

According to the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada, “as early as kindergarten, little girls are led to believe that they aren’t as good as boys are at math,” which can create truly disastrous cascading effects. Financial literacy is a vital way to address at least some of these gender inequalities. And for us at Genus, that means helping our clients understand how to build wealth and well-being in the long term.

That’s why we’re thrilled to host our annual female-focused webinar in honour of International Women’s Day 2025. In alignment with the theme ‘Accelerate Action,’ we’ve invited Kelly to join our Portfolio Manager Sue-May Talbot in a discussion on Women and Investing: Building Wealth with Confidence. “The perception that women are less investment-savvy than men often leads to their exclusion from financial discussions, especially when it comes to family finances,” Talbot says. “Even in meetings with investment advisors, the focus is frequently placed on the male partner, leaving women feeling overlooked. It certainly doesn’t help build their confidence.”

This webinar will focus on helping women navigate common financial barriers in their journey toward building long-term wealth, by covering topics such as overcoming investment confidence gaps, leveraging effective financial planning strategies, and taking practical steps to gain control of their financial future. “I coach women to advocate for their financial security and their value – whether it’s at home with a partner or at work with a boss,” Kelly says. “When women understand how to navigate financial decisions, they feel empowered and confident to do so.”

And building their confidence is essential when you consider that women live, on average, five years longer than men. “This means women will be inheriting significant assets,” Talbot says. “In 2019, women in Canada directly controlled $2.2 trillion in personal finance assets, a figure projected to grow to $3.8 trillion by 2028. This magnifies the importance of financial planning and literacy among women to effectively manage and sustain their wealth for future generations.”

Change is happening, but gender gaps in investing persist

We’re committed to helping more women understand – and feel confident – investing in themselves, their families and their futures. And we’re heartened to see that it’s helping: women sont changing the investing landscape – slowly but surely. 

Recent research from Fidelity shows that the number of women who own investments jumped 18% last year. And with the intergenerational wealth transfer ramping up, more women will soon find themselves stewards of their family wealth

But the same study also showed that women are still nearly twice as likely as men to lack understanding of investing – only 35% consider themselves investors

Kelly believes this can be addressed with more female-focused investing services. “Women want to be heard and understood; they want to feel safe and not judged or shamed,” she says. “They want to feel like the recommendations being made are in their best interests and they want to invest in socially and ethically responsible companies and not be scoffed at for saying so.” 

“And,” she concludes, “because women work so hard to earn everything they get, they want their advisor to match their effort to earn their business and trust.” 

Talbot agrees: “In my experience, women want to work with people they trust and that trust is strengthened when advisors understand their experiences and the challenges they face. I always strive to meet my clients where they are; if that means spending extra time with newer or less experienced investors, I’m more than happy to do so,” she adds. “In my view, the best client is a curious one—because the more they understand, the more confident they become over time.”

As it turns out, studies have shown that when women trust themselves (and their advisors), they actually become better investors than men. “Women are out there trying to close the wealth gap, align money decisions with their values, break generational cycles, care for their children and elderly parents, and give back to their communities,” Kelly says. “Investing with confidence is crucial for women to gain financial independence and succeed on these missions. When women prosper, everyone prospers.”

 

Join us March 19, 2025 at 10 am PST for our Women and Investing: Building Wealth with Confidence webinar. Register for your free spot aujourd'hui.

Références :

  1.  Smith, K. (2023, May 3). Women’s health research lacks funding – these charts show how. Www.nature.com. https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-023-01475-2/index.html
  2. McKinsey Health Institute. “Closing the Women’s Health Gap: A $1 Trillion Opportunity to Improve Lives and Economies | McKinsey.” Www.mckinsey.com, 2024, www.mckinsey.com/mhi/our-insights/closing-the-womens-health-gap-a-1-trillion-dollar-opportunity-to-improve-lives-and-economies.
  3. Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. “The Daily — Intersectional Gender Wage Gap in Canada, 2007 to 2022.” Www150.Statcan.gc.ca, 21 Sept. 2023, www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/230921/dq230921b-eng.htm.

  4. Government of Canada strengthens women’s sector capacity to reduce barriers and advance gender equality. (n.d.). Government of Canada. Retrieved March 6, 2025, from https://www.canada.ca/en/women-gender-equality/news/2025/01/government-of-canada-strengthens-womens-sector-capacity-to-reduce-barriers-and-advance-gender-equality.html

  5. Aziz, Saba. “Canadians Facing “Pervasive Motherhood Penalty” at Work, Report Says – National | Globalnews.ca.” Global News, 15 Mar. 2024, globalnews.ca/news/10362944/motherhood-penalty-maternity-leave-report-canada/.

  6. Canada. “Empowering Futures: Boosting Girls’ Financial Confidence through Gamified Learning – a Gender Equality Research Brief – Canada.ca.” Canada.ca, 2022, www.canada.ca/en/financial-consumer-agency/programs/research/girls-financial-confidence.html.

  7. Cbc. (2019, March 4). Canadian women control financial assets of $2.2T, CIBC says. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/business/cibc-study-women-wealth-1.5039784

  8. “New Research from Fidelity® Shows 71% of Women Own Investments in the Stock Market.” The NewsMarket, 2024, newsroom.fidelity.com/pressreleases/new-research-from-fidelity–shows-71–of-women-own-investments-in-the-stock-market/s/db3a5765-9b69-4e51-a315-66ecc51e0066.

  9. “New Research from Fidelity® Shows 71% of Women Own Investments in the Stock Market.” The NewsMarket, 2024, newsroom.fidelity.com/pressreleases/new-research-from-fidelity–shows-71–of-women-own-investments-in-the-stock-market/s/db3a5765-9b69-4e51-a315-66ecc51e0066.

  10. Theglobeandmail.com, 2025, www.theglobeandmail.com/investing/markets/stocks/WFC-N/pressreleases/28194149/women-outperform-men-as-investors-statistics-show-here-are-3-possible-reasons/. Accessed 27 Feb. 2025.

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Courriel

Client impact

"Passer d'une grande banque à Genus a été l'une des meilleures décisions financières que nous ayons jamais prises. Genus a assuré une croissance fiable des actifs malgré notre tolérance modérée au risque. Alors que notre sécurité financière s'est accrue, nous avons également bénéficié d'une excellente expérience client. Les communications de la société ont toujours été transparentes et informatives, y compris les webinaires éducatifs et un portail Web bien conçu où nous pouvons suivre nos investissements quotidiennement. Le plus important pour nous est que notre gestionnaire de portefeuille a toujours répondu rapidement et de manière exhaustive à nos questions et à nos demandes. "
Martin T.
"Ayant des objectifs et des besoins financiers relativement divers, ainsi qu'une légère réticence à l'égard du marché boursier, Genus a habilement répondu à toutes nos préoccupations et a mis au point un plan vraiment exceptionnel : Des fonds sans combustibles fossiles et un portefeuille d'investissement diversifié, oui ; un portefeuille d'investissement à impact efficace qui coïncide avec nos espoirs et nos rêves d'un monde meilleur, oui ; des conseils et une assistance professionnels pour créer un fonds de bienfaisance conseillé par le donateur avec des reçus de bienfaisance immédiats à des fins fiscales, oui. Les résultats ? Bien au-delà de nos espérances ! Nous nous sommes même amusés en cours de route et nous avons certainement profité d'un incroyable départ de deux ans pour ce qui sera une relation satisfaisante à long terme avec Genus.
Marc B.
"J'aime le service que je reçois chez Genus.
Chris H.
"Leslie et moi étions membres du même conseil d'administration lorsque nous nous sommes rencontrés il y a vingt ans. Au cours des dix dernières années, elle a réfléchi à l'élaboration d'une stratégie d'investissement pour ma famille et l'a mise en œuvre comme prévu. L'équipe de Genus a répondu à mes attentes et c'est un plaisir de traiter avec elle".
Bob Q.
"Pendant plus de 15 ans, j'ai assuré la sélection et l'évaluation des performances de plusieurs gestionnaires d'investissement pour un important family office. Leslie et Genus ont joué un rôle fondamental dans ma fonction. J'ai toujours trouvé que Leslie et ses collègues étaient perspicaces et proactifs, et que la performance de leur part du portefeuille était bien supérieure aux indices de référence. Et c'est un grand plaisir de travailler avec eux".
Douglas H.
"Genus est une société très innovante. Je suis heureux d'investir dans leurs stratégies Fossil Free et Impact qui m'aident à investir en accord avec mes valeurs."
Marnie C.
"Excellente équipe de professionnels. Site web et rapports excellents. Répond rapidement aux demandes de renseignements. Je suis également très satisfait du processus de changement d'une autre société à Genus. Bravo !".
David L.
"Genus fournit toujours une bonne image, clairement expliquée et complète de la situation économique et financière générale, ainsi qu'un excellent compte-rendu des décisions d'investissement prises en fonction de cette situation. L'intérêt tout aussi marqué de Genus pour les questions et les demandes d'informations complémentaires de ses clients est également un élément très important du service qu'il fournit".
Allan S.
"En 1992, lorsque je me suis retrouvé à cinquante ans avec une somme d'argent importante à investir, je ne savais qu'une chose : je ne voulais pas contribuer aux compagnies de tabac, aux fabricants d'armes ou aux compagnies pétrolières. Mais au cours des années qui ont suivi, les options d'investissement socialement responsable sont devenues beaucoup plus sophistiquées et je suis très heureux que cela fasse partie intégrante de l'approche de Genus. J'apprécie également beaucoup la relation à long terme avec ma gestionnaire de portefeuille, Mary Lou.
Ann P.

Comme vu dans

Prêt.e à avoir un impact avec vos investissements?

French
Appelez-nous
Appelez-nous
1-800-668-7366

Ou remplissez vos coordonnées et nous vous contacterons.