SThey are only 22.3% of the total, but they can boast higher qualifications than their colleagues and have a notable level of self-esteem and autonomy: this is the identikit of financial advisors as emerges from the research Women and Money. Financial consultancy: analysis and opportunities of a contemporary profession beyond gender stereotypesconducted by the Department of Psychology ofCatholic university of Milan and promoted by Banca Widiba.
Claudia Manzi, professor of Social Psychology at the Catholic University of Milan and responsible for the research on Women and money promoted by Banca Widiba.
Some data: among financial advisors, 40% are women with degrees, compared to 36% among men, and those with a post-graduate specialization are 12%, compared to 4.9% of their colleagues. However, men more easily come into contact with this profession through informal networks – word of mouth, friends – and this probably explains the lower presence of women: they are perceived by informal networks as less associated with financial consultancy.
The advantages of counseling are clear, and unisex: the flexibility of time, autonomy, the possibility of earning. A negative perception, however, and typically female, is lack of stability, cited not surprisingly by 33 percent of women, compared to 25 among men. Satisfaction, however, is high: among women, what matters is the possibility of developing self-esteem (at 70 percent), autonomy (over 90) and an overall professional and family satisfaction that reaches 8.20 points out of 10. Those who work in the sector would not change, because they see the results and the possibility of reconciling their private life.
Francesca Marchelli, communications director of Banca Widiba.
Women and money: improving communication
Why, then, if the professionals are so convinced of their choice, are the numbers so small? First of all, as emerged from the focus groups, why it is women themselves who think they are perceived as less competent than their male colleagues. Among banking science students themselves, there is the perception that the profession of financial advisor is less suitable for women. The problem, therefore, is informative and communicative.
Claudia Manzi, professor of Social Psychology at Cattolica and scientific director of the project, reiterates this: «There are still many gender stereotypes that keep women away from this profession. We need to work towards more effective communication, because Bringing professionals closer to financial consultancy also means facilitating women clients to come into contact with the world of financial investments».
A world from which, today, women are still too far away.
Adds Francesca Marchelli, communications director of Banca Widiba: «The objective is to strengthen synergies with the university world to outline more inclusive communication strategies, which overcome gender stereotypes and misperceptions about the profession, to promote more equal participation. and aware in the field of financial communication”.
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