Rosa finans

Rosa finans examines why women invest less than men and what could encourage more women to invest. A report titled "From Tradwife to Tradewife" by investment app Stack by me and University of Agder suggests that the typical masculine language does not appeal as much to women. Investment app founder Madeleine Bjørnestad Røed encourages the report's author, Jon Engen-Helgheim, to contribute more ideas to increase women's investments.

Engen-Helgheim finds the use of research tools for this report annoying. The female-dominated financial industry has long identified and targeted the significant income potential of women in investing in stocks and funds. Banks, fund managers, and savings apps have been trying to attract more users to their platforms. Women who dive deep into investing through simple Google searches or subscribing to newsletters often discover that events for women are held almost weekly in the stock market.

Major banks with their heads held high have initiatives aimed at attracting more women to invest. Ragebait with carefully selected statistics showing "all the money goes to the guys!" is used, reminiscent of Beyoncé's "Run The World (Girls)!" Though the author, as an economics commentator, may be more interested than average in saving and investing, there is something about this female community that is intriguing.

The author is fond of goodie bags and is happy to attend social events with friends, but adding another activity to a busy schedule doesn't hurt. The classic move in this pink marketing strategy is to make it seem like a positive development that women are underrepresented among shareholders on Oslo Børs, potentially missing out on great opportunities.

This can go even further into representation in boardrooms (as ownership of a company influences who sits in the boardroom), and thus the importance of women deciding in Norwegian companies. The latest Aksjenorge statistic shows that slightly more new women than men invested on the stock exchange in the second quarter of the year.

Perhaps the trend is moving in the right direction, but men still make up the majority of investors on Oslo Børs. The differences are due to historical disparities in wealth and ownership, and the slow progress towards a more equal distribution between genders is modest. Even though it may seem that pink marketing is successful in getting women to investment events, it is clear that women today have the same assumptions as men when it comes to learning and understanding finance.

So, why is development not happening faster? Could it be due to lack of interest? That men are simply more interested in stocks and funds than women? If so, is it a legitimate concern? Boys and girls often have different preferences, but an interest in saving money for something one desires, owning a share of a well-known American company, or learning how investments grow over time can be quite appealing to most people, regardless of gender.

The most important thing is to discuss stocks and funds in a way that everyone understands early on. For now, those who have been given this opportunity may have a silver spoon at the dinner table, while others learn what a stock is only when they start to worry about retirement savings. Starting early with stock and fund saving gives an advantage in the investment world compared to those who begin in adulthood. This contributes to widening disparities in society, not just between genders.