when it comes to investing and making financial plans for the future.
- Women are more likely to lead on handling household spending and budgeting, whereas men are more likely to take the lead on investing (53% vs 34%) and retirement planning (48% vs 32%)
- Despite women holding an ever-increasing proportion of both inherited and earned wealth, only half of women (54%) feel confident managing a significant inheritance or windfall and just 44% feel confident making changes to investments
- Women who invest are more than twice as likely to feel financially comfortable as those who do not (53% vs 23%)
- Younger women are leading the change, with more than two fifths (44%) of the under 35s having a financial plan in place, compared with a quarter (26%) of those aged 55+
Women are often the money managers of today, but not always the financial planners of tomorrow, according to new research from St. James’s Place (SJP), which reveals a clear divide between women’s day-to-day financial responsibilities and their confidence in managing the growing wealth they are set to earn and inherit.
SJP’s Women and Wealth report, conducted among 6,000 individuals across the UK, finds that women are far less likely than men to lead on decisions that shape long-term wealth, be it investment (34% of women vs 53% of men), retirement planning (32% vs 48%) or wills and estate planning (28% vs 36%).
In contrast, more than four fifths of women (84%) are actively involved in managing daily finances and are more likely than men to say they lead on day-to-day spending decisions (45% vs 33%) and household budgeting (46% vs 39%).
Women lack confidence over future wealth
While women are set to inherit more than half (56%) of transferred wealth globally by 20481, and with more and more women building wealth through careers and entrepreneurship, SJP’s research suggests this growing influence is not yet matched by women’s confidence or engagement with longer-term financial decisions.
Just over half of women (54%) say they would feel confident managing a significant inheritance or financial windfall alone, compared with two thirds of men (66%). Confidence drops even further when it comes to investing a windfall, with 44% of women saying they would feel confident doing so, compared with 60% of men.
More widely, the research shows that the gender investment gap remains wide, with only a quarter of women currently investing (27%) compared with more than two fifths of men (43%). They are also less likely to have a plan in place to manage their money (33% versus 42% of men).
The confidence gap also extends to managing investments, pensions and wider financial tasks. Only 44% of women feel confident making changes to investments on their own, compared with 63% of men. Confidence is also lower when it comes to changing pension contributions (45% vs 59%) and completing financial paperwork such as a self-assessment tax return (47% vs 61%).
Planning and investing doubles levels of comfort among women
This comes despite the longer-term benefits associated with investing and planning. Women who invest are more than twice as likely to describe themselves as financially comfortable than women who do not invest (53% vs 23%). Investing also significantly boosts levels of financial resilience, rising to 75% for women who invest versus 48% among those who don’t invest.
These trends are echoed among women with a financial plan in place. More than four in ten (45%) of those with a financial plan say they feel financially comfortable, compared with 25% of women without a plan in place, while almost three quarters (72%) of those with a plan say they feel financially resilient against less than half (47%) of women without a plan.
Advice helps bridge the confidence gap
As women take on an increasingly significant role in managing wealth, both earned and inherited, it is clear that advice can help bridge the confidence gap. Women receiving ongoing advice are significantly more confident managing a substantial inheritance or financial windfall (82% vs 52%) and investing it (76% vs 41%) than women who do not receive advice.
The research also highlights how women who currently receive ongoing financial advice are almost four times as likely to invest than those who do not receive advice (77% vs 22%) and more than twice as likely to have a financial plan in place (65% vs 30%). They are also significantly more confident making changes to investments (74% vs 41%), in adjusting pension contributions (68% vs 43%) and making changes to a will (84% vs 55%).
Younger women point to signs of change
While the report reveals clear disparities between men and women when it comes to investing and making financial plans for the future, it also highlights that generational change may well close those gaps. Younger women are more likely to have a financial plan in place, with over two fifths (44%) of those aged between 18–34 having a plan in place, compared with a quarter (26%) of those aged 55 and over. Younger women are also slightly more likely to invest (29% vs 26% those 55+).
Claire Trott, Head of Advice at St. James’s Place, said:
“The gaps we can see aren’t driven by women lacking interest in money. In fact, women are highly involved in managing all aspects of daily finances. The challenge is that too many still feel investing, financial planning and advice are not for people like them – despite the clear benefits they can bring over the long term.
“Changing this mindset is important because women who engage with long term finances feel more resilient, comfortable and more in control of their financial future. As women’s influence over wealth continues to grow, helping more women engage in investing and planning will not only be vital for their own financial security but for households and the nation’s finances too.
“Taking small, practical steps now can make longer-term decisions feel more manageable. A good starting point is understanding where your money is, what you want it to help you achieve, and how to best address any gaps in your plans.”
On behalf of St. James’s Place, Opinium surveyed 6,000 UK adults nationwide between 17th March and 9th April 2026. Quotas and post-weighting were applied to the sample to make the dataset representative of the UK adult population.
1 Capgemini World Wealth Report 2025
SJP Approved 22/06/2026