The real reason women don’t engage with money

The real reason women don’t engage with money is not what you might think!

Have you ever wondered why so many women stay on the sidelines when it comes to money?

The real reason may surprise you; it breaks the traditional narrative and exposes what’s truly holding women back from financial engagement. We’ve been asking the wrong question.

For years, the conversation has been framed like this:
Why aren’t women more engaged with money?

But new research suggests a better question might be:
Why hasn’t the financial world been built in a way that works for women?

Because when you look closely at the data, the issue isn’t women.
It’s the environment they’ve been navigating.

Recent research from Aberdeen Group plc reveals a striking reality:

At first glance, this appears to be a capability gap. But I have long argued, and this research confirms, that the issue isn’t women’s ability to invest. It’s about accessibility, education, relevance, and how financial conversations are designed.

It isn’t that women are actively disengaged; it is that money has often been presented in a way that pushes women away.

Confidence doesn’t exist in isolation; it’s shaped by experience, representation, the language used to explain details, and inclusion.

So when only 35% of women feel confident making financial decisions, the other 65% can’t because they haven’t always been invited into the conversation. It may be because they haven’t seen themselves reflected in it, or they’ve often been expected to “catch up” rather than be supported. I wrote a blog about the money confidence gap which is far more common that you might think. You can read that here. 

One of the most powerful findings in the research is that women who receive financial advice are almost twice as likely to achieve high financial literacy. But what is interesting is that women are less likely to seek it in the first place, again, something I have noticed for years. This is not reluctance but a clear signal that advice doesn’t always feel accessible, and that the financial industry doesn’t always feel relatable because trust hasn’t been fully built, and information is often unclear.

The research highlights something often overlooked: women experience money differently. Women are more likely to take career breaks, for example, when having children. They tend to live longer and yet earn less over their lifetimes than their male counterparts. Financial planning isn’t just about knowledge; it’s about navigating a more complex financial life. Yet most financial systems are still designed around linear, uninterrupted earning patterns.

Women are often labelled as risk-averse. They can also be labelled as disinterested in money. But the research tells a different story: that women, when given clear information, with relevant solutions and a supportive environment, can and do take action. Many women become disciplined, long-term investors who focus on outcomes rather than noise. So perhaps the issue isn’t that women invest differently. It’s that they invest thoughtfully and the system hasn’t always adapted to that.

If we step back, a pattern emerges that this isn’t a “women’s problem.”  This is a design problem because financial language is complex and exclusionary, and advice models don’t always feel accessible. There is still an issue with financial education, which is often inconsistent and comes too late in life. Conversations haven’t been inclusive, and when something isn’t designed with you in mind, you don’t engage with it.

The solutions aren’t complicated, but they are powerful and something I am passionate about supporting.

Here is what the research suggests, which echoes all that She Can Prosper stands for.

This matters right now because women are entering one of the biggest wealth shifts in history. More and more women are building businesses, earning and inheriting wealth. Women are also delaying or opting out of having children. Yet, many still don’t feel fully in control of their financial future. That’s the gap we need to close next and what I am working on right now. We don’t need to fix women’s relationship with money; we need to fix the system. Because when the environment changes, and conversations feel accessible, relevant, and supportive, Women don’t just engage with money; they thrive with it. This is why I have created The Prosperity Club as spaces like this matter. Because they’re not just about financial education. They’re about confidence, conversation and community. The very things this research shows have been missing.