Bridging the Gender-Based Financial Literacy Gap: An In-Depth Examination of Contributing Factors and Policy Recommendations for Equitable Financial Empowerment
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v13i1.6108Keywords:
financial literacy, female, female financial literacy, gender based, gender disparities, personal finance, literature reviewAbstract
Financial literacy is a critical life skill for individuals to make informed decisions about their investments or personal finances. However, studies have revealed a gender-based financial literacy gap, with women having lower levels of financial knowledge than men. While there is a general consensus that women have lower rates of financial literacy, there is less literature discussing the possible causes of this gap. Through interviews with experts and researchers in the financial literacy field, I seek to uncover the factors that influence financial literacy outcomes for men and women in America, and what can be done to counter the gender-based disparities in financial literacy rates. I concluded that a major factor of financial literacy is confidence in their ability to learn and handle personal finance. The best way to resolve this is by mandating financial education.
Downloads
References or Bibliography
References
Aragão, C. (n.d.). Gender pay gap in U.S. hasn't changed much in two decades. Pew Research Center. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.pewresearch.org/?p=257386
Behrman, J. R., Mitchell, O. S., Soo, C. K., & Bravo, D. (2012). How financial literacy affects household wealth accumulation. American Economic Review, 102(3), 300-304. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.102.3.300
Bertrand, M., Kamenica, E., & Pan, J. (2015). Gender identity and relative income within households * [Abstract]. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 130(2), 571-614. https://doi.org/10.1093/qje/qjv001
Blaschke, J. (2022). Gender differences in financial literacy among teenagers - can confidence bridge the gap? Cogent Economics & Finance, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23322039.2022.2144328
Bloome, D., Burk, D., & Mccall, L. (2019). Economic self-reliance and gender inequality between U.S. men and women, 1970–2010. American Journal of Sociology, 124(5), 1413-1467. https://doi.org/10.1086/702278
Bottazzi, L., & Lusardi, A. (2021). Stereotypes in financial literacy: Evidence from PISA. Journal of Corporate Finance, 71, 101831. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2020.101831
Brock, T. J. (2022, July 19). From the experts: Is financial illiteracy a growing problem in the u.s.? Annuity.org. Retrieved July 20, 2023, from https://www.annuity.org/2022/07/19/is-financial-illiteracy-a-growing-problem-in-the-us/
Bucher-Koenen, T., Alessie, R., Lusardi, A., & van Rooij, M. (2016, February). Women, confidence, and financial literacy. European Investment Bank. https://institute.eib.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/women-conf-lit.pdf
Conley-Smith, M., & Liao, H.-W. (2020, February). Closing a Gender Gap: Financial Literacy is not Enough [pdf]. Stanford Center on Longevity. Retrieved July 24, 2023, from https://longevity.stanford.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Closing-a-Gender-Gap-Financial-Literacy-is-not-Enough.pdf
Cox, J. (2021, May 27). The Face Of Wall Street Is Changing But Gender Inequality Runs Deep. Forbes. Retrieved July 25, 2023, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/josiecox/2021/05/27/the-face-of-wall-street-is-changing-but-gender-inequality-runs-deep/?sh=5d444c82443a
Davoli, M., & Rodríguez-Planas, N. (2022, January). Culture, gender, and financial literacy. IZA Institute of Labor Economics. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.iza.org/publications/dp/15054/culture-gender-and-financial-literacy
Fonseca, R., Mullen, K. J., Zamarro, G., & Zissimopoulos, J. (2012). What explains the gender gap in financial literacy? The role of household decision making. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 46(1), 90-106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2011.01221.x
Goldfarb, E. S., & Lieberman, L. D. (2021). Three decades of research: The case for comprehensive sex education. Journal of Adolescent Health, 68(1), 13-27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.07.036
González-pérez, S., Mateos de Cabo, R., & Sáinz, M. (2020). Girls in stem: Is it a female role-model thing? Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.02204
Grohmann, A. (2016). The gender gap in financial literacy: Income, education, and experience offer only partial explanations. DIW Economic Bulletin, 6(46/47), 531-537. https://www.diw.de/documents/publikationen/73/diw_01.c.547366.de/diw_econ_bull_2016-46-1.pdf
Hasler, A., & Lusardi, A. (n.d.). The gender gap in financial literacy: A global perspective. https://gflec.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/The-Gender-Gap-in-Financial-Literacy-A-Global-Perspective-Report.pdf
Jaekel, A., & St-Onge, E. (2016, October 25). Why Women Aren't Making It to the Top of Financial Services Firms. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved July 25, 2023, from https://hbr.org/2016/10/why-women-arent-making-it-to-the-top-of-financial-services-firms
Jäkel, A. (2016, June). Women in financial services. Marsh McLennan Companies. https://www.oliverwyman.com/content/dam/oliver-wyman/global/en/2016/june/WiFS/WomenInFinancialServices_2016.pdf
Klapper, L., & Lusardi, A. (2019). Financial literacy and financial resilience: Evidence from around the world. Financial Management, 49(3), 589-614. https://doi.org/10.1111/fima.12283
Lamont, E. (2013). Negotiating courtship: Reconciling egalitarian ideals with traditional gender norms [Abstract]. Gender & Society, 28(2), 189-211. https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243213503899
Levine, P., Mitchell, O., & Phillips, J. (n.d.). Worklife determinants of retirement income differentials between men and women. https://doi.org/10.3386/w7243
National Financial Educators Council. (n.d.). Financial illiteracy cost americans $1,819 in 2022. https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/financial-illiteracy-costs/
Park, C. M., Kraus, A. D., Dai, Y., Fantry, C., Block, T., Kelder, B., Howard, K. A. S., & Solberg, V. S. H. (2021). Empowering women in finance through developing girls' financial literacy skills in the united states. Behavioral Sciences, 11(12), 176. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11120176
Preston, A., & Wright, R. E. (2022). Financial literacy amongst young people: When does the gender gap begin? Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA). Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://docs.iza.org/dp15287.pdf
Ramsey Solutions. (2023, April 10). Which states require financial literacy for high school students? Ramsey Solutions. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://www.ramseysolutions.com/financial-literacy/states-require-financial-literacy-in-high-school
Sarsons, H., & Xu, G. (2015, July 14). Confidence Men? Gender and Confidence: Evidence among Top Economists. Harvard University. https://scholar.harvard.edu/files/sarsons/files/confidence_final.pdf
S&P GLOBAL FINLIT SURVEY. (n.d.). Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center. Retrieved July 21, 2023, from https://gflec.org/initiatives/sp-global-finlit-survey/
Van bavel, J., Schwartz, C. R., & Esteve, A. (2018). The reversal of the gender gap in education and its consequences for family life. Annual Review of Sociology, 44(1), 341-360. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-soc-073117-041215
Yakoboski, P., Lusardi, A., & Hasler, A. (n.d.). Financial well-being and literacy in a high-inflation environment. https://www.tiaa.org/public/institute/publication/2023/financial-well-being-and-literacy-in-a-high-inflation-environmen
Yakoboski, P. J., Lusardi, A., & Hasler, A. (n.d.). Financial literacy and wellness among U.S. women. https://www.tiaa.org/content/dam/tiaa/institute/pdf/financial-literacy-and-wellness-among-us-women/2020-11/tiaa-institute-gflec-womens-p-fin-index-november-2020.pdf
Zissimopoulos, J. M., Karney, B. R., & Rauer, A. J. (2013). Marriage and economic well being at older ages [Abstract]. Review of Economics of the Household, 13(1), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-013-9205-x
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2024 Sarabeth Huang; Dr. Tom Kosnik
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright holder(s) granted JSR a perpetual, non-exclusive license to distriute & display this article.