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India’s online investment platform Groww recently conducted a survey to understand the investing habits of Indian women investors in the run-up to International Women’s Day on March 8, 2021.

The survey was sent to more than 2.5 lakh women and fetched more than 28,000 responses over three days. The study’s objective was to understand the qualitative aspects of women’s investing habits, their goals, and how they view the process of wealth creation in general.

Following are some of the critical findings of the survey:

Younger women take to ‘stocking’

Younger millennial women investors in the group of 18-25 years were three times more likely to choose a high-risk, high-return asset class like stocks over traditional investment options like FD. It shows a marked shift in the awareness levels and risk appetite of women, especially younger women who are open to exploring wealth-generating avenues in capital markets, irrespective of their age and income.

Gold maintains its hold

Gold retained its place in the portfolio of women across age and income groups. The propensity to invest in gold, however, increased slightly with an increase in the income bracket. Overall, 25% of women have invested in gold. Forty per cent of women earning more than 10 lakh have invested in gold.

Wealthier women chose real estate

The propensity to invest in real estate was higher in women making more than 30 lakh per annum. When it comes to real estate, this behaviour is in line with the expectations. Real estate requires a significant investment, and most people can afford property when they have reached a certain income level which also mostly coincides with their age.

Another noteworthy trend is that an increase in income level also saw an increase in the number of asset classes in the investment portfolio. When it comes to investing in cryptocurrencies, about 6% of women making more than Rs 30 lakh p.a have invested in cryptocurrencies. Only 4% of women earning less than Rs 10 lakh per annum have invested in cryptocurrencies in comparison.

Investing with a vision

The one thing every woman should do in terms of finances is to be involved in managing them and read up to gain knowledge. Mrin Agarwal, founder director, Finsafe, said, “Women find investing daunting due to the lack of knowledge & confidence and reading up would help them take informed financial decisions. There are personal finance elearning courses available and most financial media has personal finance columns. As Benjamin Franklin once said “an investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”

Shweta Jain, founder Investography agreed that one thing women must do is take decisions on their own. “Decisions of where to spend, decisions on where to invest, decisions on how much risk to take. These need well thought out goals and you need to learn how to manage your money on your own/ with help. But take that step, whether it is your first step or fifth, take that step towards making decisions about your money. This will give you peace of mind and that security you aspire for.”