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While women have made significant strides in education and employment, a data analysis shows they still lag behind men in participation in the stock market. Experts attribute this to societal norms, pay disparities, and a lack of encouragement for girls to develop an interest in finance and investing from a young age. However, some women are working to change this trend by starting investment clubs and sharing their investing experiences on social media.
Why it matters
Women’s lower participation in the stock market means they are missing out on opportunities to build wealth and achieve financial security. This disparity also has broader implications, as increased female investment could make the stock market more stable. Resolving this gap is important for women’s financial empowerment and for the overall health of the financial system.
The details
The analysis of federal government data shows women accounted for around 35% of investors in 2025, a share that has remained largely unchanged in the past seven years. Experts say this is due to factors like the gender pay gap, a natural aversion to risk among women, and the long-held societal belief that finance is a ‘man’s job’. However, women who do invest tend to outperform men on a risk-adjusted basis. Some women are working to encourage more female participation in investing, such as through investment clubs at universities and educational programs on social media.
- In 2025, women accounted for around 35% of investors, a share that has remained largely unchanged since 2018.
- In May 2026, e.l.f. Beauty announced plans to acquire Hailey Bieber’s Rhode brand, causing the company’s shares to surge more than 23% in a single trading session.
The players
Aviva Mehta
A 27-year-old New York resident who started a personal finance book club to encourage more women to discuss and engage with investing.
Jennifer Itzkowitz
A professor at Seton Hall University who focuses on gender-related issues in finance.
Veronica Willis
The global investment strategist at the Wells Fargo Investment Institute.
Breanna Giglio
A Texas-based event planner who has found an edge in investing by spotting trends in consumer spending and brand prevalence.
Rosa Romeo
A Fordham University accounting professor who supervises the school’s Smart Women Securities group, where female students learn about analyzing equities and financial statements.
What they’re saying
“Women are making strides in every other aspect. We have to normalize it for women and not just look at it as something that men do.”
— Aviva Mehta
“We just don’t encourage girls as much as we encourage boys to pay attention to money and finance when they’re children. They just don’t develop an interest in it because they’ve never been motivated or encouraged to think about it.”
— Jennifer Itzkowitz, Professor, Seton Hall University
“Maybe they’re not taking on as much risk in their accounts as their male counterparts might be. But maybe that’s for the best.”
— Veronica Willis, Global Investment Strategist, Wells Fargo Investment Institute
“A lot of things that are affecting the stock market are also just what’s happening in life and in pop culture. Women very much do a lot of the household shopping, so it would make sense for them to then do the household investing.”
— Breanna Giglio, Event Planner
“If you are investing, automatically, you are bridging a gap that we’re seeing time and time again. You are actually not becoming the statistic of the woman who waited or didn’t invest at all, and that’s powerful.”
— Tori Dunlap, Founder, ‘Financial Feminist’ and Stock Market School
What’s next
Experts say that as women are expected to increasingly benefit from an ongoing wealth transfer, wealth managers will likely target them as a growing client base. However, until the investment gap is resolved, the stock market will miss out on inflows that could make it more stable.
The takeaway
While women have made significant strides in education and employment, the persistent gender gap in stock market investing remains a concern. Addressing societal norms, pay disparities, and the lack of encouragement for girls to develop an interest in finance from a young age will be crucial to empowering women financially and strengthening the overall health of the financial system.
