Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/29816 
Year of Publication: 
2009
Series/Report no.: 
DIW Discussion Papers No. 928
Publisher: 
Deutsches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (DIW), Berlin
Abstract: 
This study questions the popular stereotype that women are more risk averse than men in their financial investment decisions. The analysis is based on micro-level data from large-scale surveys of private households in five European countries. In our analysis of investment decisions, we directly account for individuals' self-perceived willingness to take financial risks. The empirical evidence we provide only weakly supports the gender differences argument. We find that women are less likely to invest in risky financial assets. However, when the probability of investing is controlled for, males and females are found to allocate equal shares of their wealth to risky assets.
Subjects: 
Gender
risk aversion
financial behavior
JEL: 
G11
J16
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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