
We live in an era where women are rising in every sector and end up being commendable foes to their male partners. However, when it comes to investment, it is still a man's battleground? For what reason do women avoid taking investment decisions?
Despite developing mindfulness for monetary awareness among women, just 33% take their own investment decisions, as compared to 64% men. Of these, only 30% manage their finances independently, while for the rest, their companions or guardians nudged most. Surprisingly, husbands play a greater role (40%) than guardians (27%) in urging women to take investment decisions.
Why women avoid taking their own investment decisions?
Fewer women participate in the monetary market, and that harms women’s absolute wealth after some time, consequently intensifying the gender gap. It is a vicious financial cycle. When women earn a lesser income than men and don't invest their money, this gap gets greater and greater.
Managing your money is not related to any particular gender. It is a way to achieve financial freedom, a basic need everyone must have.
Everyone has specific financial objectives; however, in India, things are not that simple. A woman does not think of purchasing a house before getting married. Sometime, she will not even consider having her very own car. She will hold up until marriage to consider buying a house or perhaps believe that her husband will have his very own place. They do not think about a house as a property and an alternate source of income or creating more wealth.

There are many reasons why women avoid investing; few of them are listed below:
1. Not having enough knowledge - Financial services and investments can be so hard to get your head around. For someone from a non-financial background, it can be a difficult job to take investment decisions as per their requirements.
2. Not having enough money - An inaccurate assumption many of us make about investments is that you need a huge amount of money to begin your investment journey. On the other hand, investing is an easy job. You can begin your investment just with Rs. 500 a month.
3. Husbands take care of their Finances – We must not consider men to be a financial plan. You truly need to begin playing a functioning part in your family funds. The more included you are the better you get at it.
4. I Am Not Good At Maths - Managing your cash is not advanced science. Anybody can do it, even those with small tutoring. You sincerely need not bother with maths to assume responsibility for your funds.
Why do women need to take investment decisions independently?
In a country like India, most of the people assume that investing money is only meant for men. However, the reality is that investing is for everyone who wants to grow financially in life and become financially Independent.

1. It helps to achieve Financial Equality
Firstly, it is important for women to financial independence and equality. Even with issues like the gender pay gap and the pink tax, investing is probably the most ideal way for women to guarantee that they can possibly collect similar measures of wealth as men.
It's significant for women to have the option to leave circumstances that are harming or not serving them – regardless of whether that is a compromising job or a terrible relationship. You ought to have the option to have your own financial influence to settle on choices that empower you to think about yourself.
2. It enables you to achieve your Financial Goals
Regardless of whether you are hoping to complete your education, set aside an emergency fund, send your children to school, set something aside for a huge spend like a house or wedding, or simply develop your general wealth, investing is seemingly the most ideal approach to achieve those objectives.
3. It will help you to save for your Retirement
Approximately, women earn only 83 rupees when a man earns 100 rupees. This implies that even if women save the same percentage of their income as men, they are never going to save the same amount.
In addition, women also have a longer life as compared to men. This means less has to sustain for a longer period when women just save their money without considering investing.
Smart investment decisions and choices for Every Women
Whether working women or a homemaker, most often women are dependent on their spouse for taking financial and investment decisions. Lack of knowledge is considered the biggest reason that demotivates women to take charge of their finances.
We at investify.in are here to make things simple and help you to gain the confidence to enable you for taking your financial and investment decisions independently.
Financial goals vary from person to person, so do the investment decisions. We are sharing some investment choices for all the women whether you are a woman, a homemaker, a single mother, or a young unmarried woman.
1. For young and single women

When you are young and single, you have a higher risk appetite as there are fewer people dependent on your income. Being young, you will have a lot of financial goals to achieve. If you have a steady but lower monthly income to invest at this early age, you can consider the following:
1. SIP in Equity Mutual Funds – It will be a good option for you since you have the ability to take a higher risk and a lot of financial goals to achieve.
2. Liquid Funds – these are the money market instruments that are an ideal choice for you to set up your emergency fund.
3. Health Insurance Plan – It will be a good investment strategy as your premium would be very low at this early stage of life.
2. For married and working women

When you are married, you began sharing financial responsibility with your spouse. Here you need to understand your financial goals as a couple and then jointly start working towards them.
When you have dependents (husband, children, and parents/ in-laws), you can consider the following options:
1. Continue investing in Mutual Funds through SIP if you already have one. Include some balanced funds to your investment that will diversify your portfolio and will reduce the overall risk involved.
2. As a couple, you must also look for some retirement plans.
3. You must take a term life insurance along with health insurance as you now have dependents. You must consider the term plan so that your family will be financially secure in an unfortunate event like your demise or disability.
3. For married and homemaker

When you are married and a homemaker, you will have a limited amount of money to invest. But you must invest to secure your financial future. Here you have a low-risk appetite and an irregular source of income, therefore, you should consider the followings:
1. Hybrid bank account – There are similar to fixed deposits and provide a decent return.
2. Post office plans – You can invest a fixed monthly sum (choose the amount wisely as it will be recurring in nature, for example, every month) in the post office. This includes recurring deposits with the post office and it provides a steady return.
3. Gold – You can also consider investing in Gold, especially in hard times like a market crash. It will be an ideal diversification factor for your entire family.
4. For single mother

As a single mother, your responsibility increases ten times, and your risk tolerance decreases. You have many things to plan, for example, your child’s education, marriage as well as your own financial future. In this situation, you can consider the followings:
1. Balanced Mutual Funds – these will be your best option for a reliable investment providing decent returns. You can also consider PPFs and NPS.
2. Liquid Funds – It becomes the best option for emergencies, as you are the only earning member with your children depending upon your income.
3. Term Life Insurance – You must have a term life insurance along with a family health insurance plan to safeguard your children’s future in case of an unfortunate event like your death.
Conclusion
Women have proved to be worthy in all the areas, but when it comes to money, they are far behind men. Women must work on their financial awareness to individually take charge of their finances and investments.
Financial independence is a necessity for all, despite the gender!