Women account for just over half the nation's population. Our combined income comes to around $21 billion annually, and on a global scale women control a third of the world's wealth – and are adding an extra $7 trillion to the pool of wealth every year. It gives women considerable financial and economic clout.
But if you have money in a professionally managed fund – and that includes the nation's 150-plus superannuation funds – it's a near-certainty your investment is being managed by a male-led team, and this can have a significant impact on your investment returns.
Finding a female investment manager in Australia can be like looking for a needle in a haystack. A 2022 survey by the Financial Services Council (FSC) found women, on average,
make up 27% of investment teams. FSC CEO Blake Briggs says this a 2% increase from 2021 but, he adds, “the investment community recognises there is more work to do” – a sentiment repeated by many in the industry.
It's in the top ranks of the investment business that the number of women falls away rapidly.
Morningstar found that in 2020, just 46 women held the title of portfolio manager in Australia. This figure plunged to 15 after excluding women who work offshore
