By Danielle Moore // SWNS
Six in 10 American women have been condescended to about their financial situation, according to new research.
A new study of 2,000 Americans – 1,000 men and 1,000 women – revealed the differences in how different genders are taught to think about finances from a young age.
While 39% of men discussed the principles of investing with their family prior to the age of 18, only 29% of women had done so.
Men (31%) were also more likely than women (19%) to have discussed how to negotiate a salary by this age.
And this might have had consequences for self-perception of financial power down the road, particularly in terms of projected salary.
When asked to estimate what they imagined their peak earning potential would be, the average male respondent guessed that he would make $105,970 per year.
The average female respondent, on the other hand, thought her highest potential salary would tap out at $80,550.
It’s a finding eerily similar to the oft-cited wage gap statistic that women earn 80 cents for every dollar men make in the United States.
Conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Charlie Finance, the study also examined the differences in how men and women deal with debt.
Although men and women were about equally likely to have discussed when to take on debt (21% vs. 15%), as well as how to pay it off (18% vs. 14%) with their parents prior to the age of 18, that’s where the similarities end.
On average, women had more debt than the average man — $48,184, and $43,566, respectively.
Yet when it came to confidence in their ability to pay off debt on a reasonable timeline, only seven in 10 women agreed that they felt capable of this, while 84% of men did.
“Debt management is something that most people struggle with. Women, more so than men, are often made by society to feel that they don’t have the ability to tackle their debts,” said Illian Georgiev, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer of Charlie Finance.
“The best way to incentivize change is by celebrating people’s savings and any steps they take towards becoming debt-free. This positive reinforcement helps keep them motivated and on track for long-term success.”
And while the data pertaining to debt perception reinforced old stereotypes about women being bad with money, several stats directly contradicted them.
Contrary to popular stereotypes, however, in adulthood men (63%) were more likely to report being labeled “risk-averse” when it came to their finances than women (45%) were.
Moreover, men were more likely to say that they had felt undermined in negotiations involving money – 65% had, as compared to only 55% of women.
“It’s important to not let anything get between you and your goals, whether that be stereotypes, a lack of education, or a low-income starting point,” added Ivo Parashkevov, Co-Founder of Charlie Finance.
“Don’t let other people influence your solutions—if saving to you means putting away an extra dollar every time you buy Starbucks, that’s okay! That may work better for you than trying to cut out things you enjoy. The aim should be to simply find whatever helps you get one step closer to achieving your financial goals.”
