The perception barrier: It’s win- win, so what’s the problem?
If women and asset managers alike both stand to gain what’s the snag which is preventing uptake? Perception-barriers on both sides.
An industry bias that views women as "niche" is leading to a marketing approach that does not address women’s negative preconceptions about finance and investment. As a senior marketer at BNY Mellon noted: “Marketers in asset management are under so much pressure from the business; as a consequence, we find ourselves on a hamster wheel unable to try new approaches."
The language barrier: the prohibitive role of impenetrable industry jargon
An activity already perceived as inherently risky would only be treated with further suspicion because of the vocabulary attached to it. It is not that men understand the language better than women, but this lack of understanding is less likely to act as a barrier for male investors.
Catherine Newman commented: “This is not about dumbing down for women...I don’t think that women are especially risk-averse. They’re sensible. They just need to see a reasonable up-side.”
Holly Mackay suggested that creating events and networks for women to discuss their finances in depth but not in jargon was an important step for the industry: “Not only is jargon off-putting, but investing seems such a solitary activity – that needs to change, events can play a big part in that.”